


Frozen Plus One

by Meowzy



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: AU, F/M, M/M, Multi, Troll Theory AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 192,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22119199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meowzy/pseuds/Meowzy
Summary: What if the head is manipulated to clash with the heart? What if Hans was only ever a puppet, utilized by a more sinister and harmful group of villains?
Relationships: Anna/Hans (Disney), Anna/Hans/Kristoff (Disney), Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Hans/Kristoff (Disney)
Comments: 197
Kudos: 265





	1. Persuading the Head

**Author's Note:**

> For a while now, I've been fascinated with the fan theory of "what if the trolls used their magic on Hans, turning him into a villain so Kristoff could end up with Anna?". But then I added the second question of "what if that magic were broken in time?", and here we are, in a delightful alternate universe where Hans is 'turned back to normal' and the trolls are exposed as the selfish hypocrites they are. Tidbits from novel known as A Frozen Heart will be incorporated into this story, but the premise of the fanfic dictates that Hans's mindset in the novel is a false one, planted into his head by the trolls later on.
> 
> This story is still on-going at the moment and will, in time, cover canon material such as Olaf's Frozen Adventure, Frozen Fever and even Frozen 2! Enjoy!

\---------

_”The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded.”_

\---------

“-She froze my heart and only an act of true love can save me.”

“A true love's kiss...” Hans said, his horror turning to realization. Anna could see it spread over his features, turning them gentler and optimistic. He must've known what this meant as well.

He reached for her cheek, his fingers stroking downwards to her chin and tilting her head backwards. She closed her eyes, and from the smell of his aftershave, she could tell he was leaning in closer. Any second now, she would be saved. Any second now, she would share her first kiss with Hans and it would prove to everyone who doubted it that this was _true love_. Continuing on to save Elsa was the top priority, of course, but with Hans by her side she was certain there was no obstacle she couldn't face.

But the kiss never came. Hans paused mere inches from her own face and the oddest words of condescension were spoken.

“Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you.”

Anna hadn't thought it possible to feel colder until now. Her chest, already frozen by Elsa's magic, had just received some sort of double dosage solely through Hans's words. Had she misunderstood what he was saying? … No, the problem was with her heart, not her ears.

“What? Y-You said that _you_ did...” she managed to say through the chattering of her teeth. Even as the words left her, Hans had already gotten up from the couch she was lying on and was now wandering towards the window to close the curtains.

“As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn't stand a chance,” he replied calmly, removing the glove from his right hand. “I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere.”

“But... What are you talking about?”

“As heir, Elsa was preferable, of course, but no one was getting anywhere with her. But you...”

“Hans?”

“You were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me _just like that_. I figured, after we married, I'd have to stage a little _accident_ for Elsa.”

The fire, the one remaining source of warmth in the room, was doused with a pitcher of water. Now, it seemed, there was nothing left to save Anna from her fate. But she just couldn't believe that her fiancé, the man who had laughed alongside her only yesterday, could be so cold and cruel. Had all those tender glances and shy remarks been nothing but a lie? Or was she looking at an evil twin brother, perhaps? Hans did have twelve of them, so it wasn't impossible.

… Or maybe Kristoff had been right about marrying someone she'd only just met.

Desperate to take control of a situation that was turning more chaotic by the second, she reached for him with one arm and fell to the floor. “Hans... No, stop!” she called, her voice no more than a whimper.

“But then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her. All that's left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer.”

He was crouching down before her now, cradling her face with one hand. This was the first time she had ever come into contact with Hans's bare palm, she realized with a start. What was it with royalty and gloves? What was it with them and hiding their true feelings? Just as she'd never understood the storm raging inside Elsa's mind, she hadn't understood Hans at all. If it'd all been about marrying into the throne...

-No. No, this couldn't be right. If Elsa had pushed her away all those years for reasons she couldn't understand, maybe Hans was doing the same thing. And there was no way the time she'd spent with him was a lie. They must've connected on some level. After all they'd been through, after being shunned by their own family, there was no way Hans would treat her this way.

There was no way this wasn't love. It _had_ to be love, because if it wasn't, who even _would_ love her? And she loved _him_ , didn't she?

Overcome by the oddest mixture of hope and desperation, she used her remaining strength to throw herself at Hans. Her arms wrapped themselves around the back of his neck, both for support and to ensure he wouldn't be rid of her too easily. He was evidently startled, recoiling backwards with a brief sound of confusion. Weak as she was, she knew she had to act fast. Eyes scrunched shut, she pressed her lips against his own, following through on the kiss she'd been denied less than a minute ago.

Her first thought was that she was being foolish. That this couldn't possibly work if Hans didn't love her in turn. True love wasn't called true for nothing. Her second thought was that her first thought had been wrong, as warmth was spreading through her face. Originating from her mouth, it moved up towards her scalp and down her neck, towards her chest. Her fingers were growing less numb.

And that was about it. She was feeling better, but she wasn't _cured_. At most, the kiss had moved her back to an earlier state of being frozen.

Now she was in deep trouble, she was sure, because stealing a kiss from royalty- especially one who had shown himself to be dangerous, was not an act to be taken lightly. But if the kiss had such an effect on her frozen body, Hans must've been lying about not loving her, right?

Apprehensive, she moved herself backwards. She'd expected Hans to look either disgusted or remorseful, depending on just how much of a manipulative jerk he was. Oddly enough, the expression on his face was neither. His green eyes were wide open and his mouth still slightly agape. It was as if he wasn't even seeing her.

“... Hans?” she asked quietly.

He blinked. Then he blinked again. Next, he cringed and clutched at his head with both hands as if he was in pain, groaning under his breath. “What...? When did I...?”

Unable to grasp just what was going on, all Anna knew for sure was that she had to turn the tables in her own favor. Elsa was still out there, the storm growing fiercer by the minute. She could deal with Hans later. Now that her legs were once again willing to support her weight, she pushed herself to her feet, towering over his crouching figure.

“I have to go find Elsa. You stay here,” she said, willing her voice to be as fierce as possible. She still didn't know whether she was facing a selfish villain or someone who had played a mean trick at the worst of times.

He looked up at her as if only now realizing she was even in the room, eyebrows furrowing. He was still holding onto his head with one hand too, fingers tousling his hair in a graceless manner. “Anna? You're safe...?”

“Of course I'm safe, no thanks to you.”

“What? I don't...”

“ _Stay here_. That's... That's an order! If you move, I'll have you arrested for treason! I... I _mean_ it!”

“Hah?”

Unable to look at his pained face any longer, she whirled around. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and noted that her hair was now once again more brown than it was white. She was almost back to normal. _Almost_ being a word of importance, as it was clear from both her reflection and the feeling in her chest that Elsa's magic was still a part of her.

Aware that Hans's eyes were on her, she stomped towards the door. Still, she made sure to take the key and lock it behind herself. A man as fit as him could probably make an easy escape out the window, she thought as she slipped the key into her pocket, but she couldn't bear to have the guards restrain him by force.

“Anna!” she heard from down the hall and a second later, Olaf came wadding into view. “Hey, look at yooou! You're looking better already! True love's kiss, you magnificent fiend, you've done it again!”

“Olaf! Do you know where Elsa is?”

“Yeees... But also _nooo_... I heard some guards saying she's in a cell, but I don't know what a cell is or where to find one.”

“Wait, what? A _cell_? Elsa's in _prison_ here in Arendelle?”

“Apparently! They said Hans put her in there. Is it a nice place only queens get to be in?”

“Oh no no no... This can't be happening...!” Anna looked towards the door she'd just closed, then back to Olaf. This was no time to panic. If Elsa was here in Arendelle, it would be easy enough to get to her. “C'mon, we have to go-”

Whatever 'ease' Anna had hoped for was nothing more than a pipe dream. The castle shuddered and audibly groaned as ice began to clamber its way up the walls. The windows were covered in crystals and the paintings Anna had always adored turned white. This was _bad_.

“Is this Elsa's doing?” Olaf asked her.

“Who else would be responsible? But I'm sure she doesn't _mean_ to cause so much damage. The sooner we find her, the sooner everything can go back to normal. Follow me!”

Anna began to sprint down the hall and while Olaf had difficulty keeping up, it didn't stop him from talking. “Wait! What about this _Hans_ fellow? Doesn't he want to be by his true love's side?”

“... I don't... I'm not sure I even know what love is, Olaf,” she admitted. “It wasn't what I always thought it was, and I don't think it is what the _trolls_ said, either.”

“That's okay! I know what love is!” Olaf proclaimed. As they rounded a corner, Anna looked back to see that his legs were literally getting ahead of him. He was forced to hold them close with both hands so they wouldn't smack right into a wall.

“Really? You do?”

“Sure! Love is putting someone else's needs before yours. Like, you know, how Kristoff brought you back here to Hans and left you forever!”

The realization was so abrupt that Anna stopped in her tracks. For a split second, she stood perfectly still. Then she felt Olaf collide with her legs and stumbled forward.

“Whoah whoah _whoah_! I thought we were in a hurry!” the snowman called, picking a fallen rock up from the ground and sticking it back on his belly where it belonged.

“... Kristoff loves me?”

“Wow, you really _don't_ know anything about love, do you?”

Dazed, Anna's gaze strayed out the window, where she was met with the same pristine landscape she'd witnessed for days already. The bright white hurt her eyes to the point where she could feel tears prickling them. How could Kristoff love her? Wasn't _Hans_ the one who loved her? Even with all he'd said, his kiss had thawed her heart and body enough to give her a few more precious hours.

Love was so confusing. Why couldn't Elsa's magic be broken by a jigsaw puzzle? She was good at those.

Ultimately, it mattered very little. The wind was still picking up outside the castle and _inside_ it, the ceiling was beginning to creak under the pressure of the spreading ice. They had to get out and find Elsa.

\---------

_“O-Ow! Help...! Someone help me!”_

_“Prince Hans? What the...? Whatever are you doing in the pigsty, young sir?”_

_“I-I was... I didn't mean...”_

_“Come here, out you get. Goodness me, your clothes look as if they've been dragged through the mud.”_

_“Rudi and Runo... They said this is where I belong...”_

_“Of course it would be the twins. Those two have gone too far this time. And on your sixth birthday, no less... Would you like me to speak to the king about this?”_

_“N-No! No, please! If Father finds out...”_

_“Hmm... Alright. Then, let's get you cleaned up.”_

Memories were ringing through Hans's head like something very loud and invasive. Over and over they replayed, for no reason other than to enforce how horrible his life had been. He didn't quite know what was going on anymore. He didn't even know for certain where he _was_. He'd tried to follow Anna out the door, only to find it locked. Thanks to his brothers, he was no stranger to being locked inside rooms- or worse- against his will. He knew the best thing to do was to stay put and wait for someone to find him.

Now he was sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest and his back resting against the wall. Whenever he released too grand a breath, it would rise before him in the form of thick mist. His body wouldn't stop shaking either, though it was hard to say whether that was because of the cold.

Had he really tried to kill Anna, just now? He must've, as that was also part of his memories, but it just didn't seem to fit. … Or _did_ it? Didn't it make perfect sense?

His fingernails dug into his scalp as a migraine dawned, along with another memory.

_“Hey! Hey, look at me!”_

_“Do you hear something, Caleb?”_

_“I believe I do... A soft, squeaky voice, desperate for attention, wouldn't you say? Wherever could it be coming from?”_

_“Franz! Caleb! You're not funny!”_

_“See, there it is again. What a mystery. We are, after all, the only ones in the room.”_

_“Come, let's be on our way. We have more important matters to tend to than such delusions. One might even accuse us of going mad if we indulge this voice for too long.”_

_“What are you saying? I'm your brother, Hans, and I'm standing right here!”_

_“Hans? Did we have a brother by the name of Hans? I don't recall...”_

_“Surely not. The King of the Southern Isles only has need for twelve sons.”_

He hated his brothers. All his life, his family had done nothing but mistreat him. They had either bullied him, outright _hurt_ him or stood by and done nothing. How could he have become anything else but a manipulative villain himself? He was a monster of their construction and they deserved to suffer for it. He absolutely wanted to become the King of Arendelle and rub their noses in it. He wanted to be free of the Southern Isles. Marrying one of the princesses to achieve that goal was just common sense. Lars, the only brother who'd been even remotely on his side, was the one who'd suggested that plan to him in the first place.

But then, where did killing anyone fit in? How could he have thought that would've worked? He wasn't related to Arendelle's royal family by blood and so, even if he'd fooled everyone into believing they'd said their marriage vows before Anna's death, he still wouldn't have been king. Arendelle would've had to find some distant cousin to take the throne instead. And didn't he actually really enjoy being with Anna?

No, wait, wasn't he only mirroring Anna's personality in order to win her over? Hadn't he come to Arendelle solely for the sake of usurping it? He must've, for he'd initially mistaken Anna for her sister and bumped into her on purpose, all part of a delicately calculated plan. … Or wait, _was_ that why they'd first met?

It didn't make sense at all and the worst part was that the more he tried to grasp it, the worse his headache became. His ears were ringing, his vision grew black and his heart hammered in his chest, almost as if it were objecting to the violent thoughts whirling inside his mind.

The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness were some of his father's words.

_“Oh, and, Hans? Don't disappoint me again.”_

\---------

The fjord was now so very frozen, it was difficult to tell this had ever been anything other than a rockhard surface. What with all the stranded ships sticking out the ice in unnatural angles, it looked almost like a graveyard. Not that it was easy for Anna to see anything at all; the flurry of snowflakes obscured her vision something fierce and the wind whipping her moist hair into her eyes didn't help either. In fact, the wind was such a dreadful opponent that it had already swept Olaf away. Anna had been unable to grab a hold of him in time and the last words to reach her ears were the snowman's pleas to “just keep going”. He'd be fine, wouldn't he?

Elsa was out here somewhere. The guards had confirmed her escape and the fjord was right beside her cell. She couldn't have gotten that far, could she? Augh, why couldn't her new dress be a bright _red_?! That would've been so much easier for Anna to spot!

The cold was once again spreading through her body, numbing not only her cheeks but her arms and legs as well. At this rate, she'd collapse soon enough.

Why couldn't Elsa have just told her about those powers in the first place? All those times they'd spent playing in the snow when they were children... Had Elsa already been hiding her powers back then? That seemed weird. Anna would've noticed if her sister could manipulate the very snow and ice they'd been playing with. Or maybe the sledding incident which led to Elsa moving out of the nursery hadn't been a sledding accident after all? Maybe something had happened with Elsa's powers and Anna had never noticed it.

Why hadn't their parents ever told Anna about this? _They'd_ known, hadn't they?

Anna couldn't stand the amount of questions surging through her head. She had to find the truth. She had to find _Elsa_. Right on cue, she spotted a flutter of blue and white straight ahead, beside the bow of an overturned ship. Elsa's dress. Squinting her eyes against the snowflakes, she could just barely make out the expression of horror on her sister's face. Elsa was in a panic, it seemed, taking in the storm of her own creation and unable to stop it.

A loud creak vibrated through the air. Though the ruined ship was giving Elsa some shelter against the whipping wind, it would not stay that way for long. The whole thing was slowly _rolling over_ and Elsa seemed to be unaware. If she didn't move soon, she was sure to be crushed by it.

“ _Elsa_!” Anna cried out, hoping her voice would carry far enough. Unfortunately, her lungs were weak from the cold and her warning didn't seem to reach its destination.

Just as she attempted to try again, she heard a different cry _behind_ her. Turning her head with difficulty, she saw Kristoff racing across the fjord on Sven. He hadn't left her behind after all! For the briefest of moments, she considered that if Kristoff truly did love her, he might have more luck ridding her of Elsa's magic. If she were to run to him now, there was a chance he could save her body and her heart with just one kiss. Then she thought of Hans, who was hopefully still locked away inside the castle and ready to explain himself to her.

The ship's noises turned from mere groans of protest to outright _cracking_. It had rolled over so far that some of the masts were breaking and splintered wood slid itself along the icy surface of the fjord. Elsa had looked up by now, but seemed unable to move out of the way. Perhaps out of reflex, she used her powers to create some gigantic icicles, using them to support the ship. The tips of jagged ice shot straight through the ship's sides and deck with a loud crash. Broken boards rained down on Elsa, the larger ones narrowly avoiding her head.

Looking back towards Kristoff one last time, Anna noted that he was having some trouble as well. Sven was now standing alone on a separate 'island' of ice, surrounded from all sides by water. Kristoff had made it across just fine, but was unable to help his reindeer friend. They'd never get to Anna in time and if she were to run to them, what would happen to Elsa?

Determination setting in her chest, she abandoned all hope of true love's kiss and instead began to sprint towards her sister. “Elsa! _Move_!” she hollered as she ran.

At last, her voice was heard. Elsa glanced her way with wide eyes, then held up both hands as a gesture for Anna to stay away. Whatever it was that she was saying, it couldn't be heard over the roaring of the wind.

“I said _move_ , Elsa!” Anna tried again, the shadow of the ship overtaking her as she ran beneath it. The creaking noises became all too clear now; this thing was about to come apart like the porcelain vase Anna had once broken and attempted to piece back together.

“Anna! _Stay away_!” Elsa was shouting at her.

“ _No_!”

More and more wood began to fall, but Anna was close now. So _close_. She could see that the terror on Elsa's face was not just that; it was _worry_. Worry not for herself, but for _Anna_ , and that was selfish in the most roundabout way. Right on cue, there was a snap above them, signifying that _something_ had come loose from the ship above them.

Now only a few feet away, she lunged forward, both hands outstretched. She heard Elsa screaming her name and immediately after, collided with her chest. They fell and slid across the ice, even as the surface itself shuddered and cracked. Something quite heavy had fallen where Elsa had been standing a mere second ago.

Unwilling to open her eyes and survey the damage, Anna remained where she was atop her sister. She felt two hands grabbing her shoulders, shaking her.

“Anna! Anna, are you alright? Speak to me!”

“I told you... we could do this together...” Anna said quietly, her teeth once again chattering in the cold. Her chest was aching and her fingers had begun to frost over. Still, there was an eerie silence in the air now.

Cracking one eye open, she noted that the wind had stopped. Not only that; the snowflakes were no longer falling. They hung in the air, perfectly, well, _frozen_ in their tracks. Behind them, most of the ship had collapsed and circling around the damage was Kristoff. Olaf was rolling towards them as well.

Everything was going to be okay, wasn't it? She sniffed and as she did so, Elsa's arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Oh Anna... I'm so sorry, I...”

Anna didn't reply. The oddest thing was happening. Just as before, when she'd kissed Hans, warmth was spreading throughout her body. Warmth that originated from her chest and pulsated all the way to the tips of her toes. Her fingers began to feel again, grasping at the fabric of Elsa's dress.

“Anna! Your body!” she heard Kristoff gasp. He didn't seem to be standing too far away now.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then Elsa began to scramble to her feet, pulling Anna into a standing position as she went. They stood side by side, surveying their surroundings. Everything was still white and cold, but at the very least, the storm had died down. That was something, right? Anna glanced down at her own body, from her limbs to her hair, noting everything was as ordinary-looking as could be. Ordinary was good. She was freed. Somehow, against all odds, she was _cured_.

Elsa pulled her into one more embrace and then backed away, her hands holding onto Anna's own. They were surprisingly warm.

“What were you _thinking_? Why would you risk your life for me?” Elsa asked in a way that was almost insulting. What was with that disbelief all over her face?

“I love you,” Anna insisted.

There was a loud, delighted gasp by their side. Anna hadn't noticed that Olaf had caught up with them again, and the moment she turned, she saw him lifting his own head with both hands. “An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!” he cried.

“Love will thaw...” Elsa repeated. She released Anna and stood back, looking at her hands. “ _Love_! Of course!”

Within seconds, the ground beneath them was lighting up in a bright blue. The glow spread further and further, snowflakes rising upwards and disappearing into the sky. The fjord began to thaw and for a moment, Anna feared they would all fall into the water. As luck would have it, they'd been standing right above another ship and now that it was being freed, it rose to the surface to offer them a safe, floating haven. Arendelle was unfreezing as well, its cheerful colors returning along with distant, cheerful faces.

Summer had returned to Arendelle. Their home was safe. Their friends were safe. Even Olaf, who had begun to melt, was saved by Elsa's magic when he received his own personal snow flurry. For the longest time, the two sisters stood aboard the ship, hugging and laughing. When at last they broke free of one another, Anna caught a quick glimpse of Kristoff's smiling face and looked away with a blush. Olaf's words were still ringing in the back of her head and the notion that Kristoff might, for some weird reason, _love_ her was something she couldn't deal with right now.

There was another man who needed her attention.

\---------

In a way, Hans was still right where Anna had left him. In a way, he _wasn't_. As soon as she shuffled into the room, she verified that her fiancé had followed orders to stay put it in the worst of ways by tripping over his legs. She hit the ground with a loud thud and Kristoff was by her side immediately, holding out a hand to help her. Embarrassed and stubborn, she ignored that hand and instead scrambled back to her feet on her own strength.

“Whoahhh, so _this_ is Hans?” Olaf asked, waddling into the room behind them. “He must've been really tuckered out.”

Anna peered down at Hans as well, noting the awkward positioning in which he was lying on the ground. He was curled up on his side right next to the door, his hands mere inches from his face. How could anyone be sleeping at a time like this? Why hadn't Anna's tripping woken him up? Something was wrong.

“ _Hans_?”

She made to take another step closer, but Kristoff blocked her with his arm. He was shooting her a stern look; a warning. She'd had no choice but to tell him why true love's kiss hadn't _quite_ done the trick. Olaf and Sven couldn't _not_ be included in that conversation. Not Elsa, though! She didn't want to worry her sister, who would surely need to focus on assuring the kingdom and confirming a message of peace with the foreign dignitaries, and other such political stuff only a queen could tend to. Elsa didn't need to know that Hans was behaving strangely and it was for the best interest of their engagement that she never found out.

Now it was _Kristoff_ who was leery of Hans's true intentions. As for Anna, she just didn't know and she was determined to find out. Eyes narrowing, she grabbed Kristoff's wrist and pushed his arm aside. After everything she'd been through over the past few days, she was sure she could deal with Hans personally if he decided to trick her again. And after everything _he'd_ been through, it seemed like Kristoff knew better than to defy her.

The both of them crouched down beside Hans, but just as Anna considered grabbing him by the shoulder to shake him, Olaf swooped in to make the first move. He shook his twiggy hands in front of Hans's face and used his shrillest of voices. “ _Helloooo_? Wakey wakey...!”

Hans flinched and curled in on himself further.

“I'm sorry, you seem to be unfamiliar with the term...” Olaf chuckled under his breath, then attempted to explain. “When I say “wakey wakey”, it means you have to wake up. So... _Wake up_!”

Still nothing. Anna reached out her hand, hesitated for a second, then pressed the backs of her fingers against his cheek. “... He's ice cold.”

“I think you mean _out_ cold,” Olaf said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“No, I mean he's as cold as ice.”

“No kidding. There was a blizzard going on up until half an hour ago. Did you seriously lock him in here without lighting the fireplace?” was Kristoff's blunt response.

“Hey, _he's_ the one who put it out!” Anna huffed at him. “And I didn't exactly have the time to light it again, since I was too busy, you know, _saving Arendelle_! You're _welcome_ , by the way.”

“Let's move him to the couch for now, see if we can question him once he's warmed up a bit more.”

Kristoff's suggestion wasn't so much a suggestion as a _decision_ , Anna came to find. He leaned forward and scooped Hans into his arms with as much laughable ease as when he'd carried _her_ around. That made sense, she supposed. She couldn't imagine Hans weighing all that much more than her. Once he'd been arranged into a comfortable position, a pillow behind his head and a spare blanket covering his torso, he looked just about as peaceful as Anna had always imagined him to be. ...Well, as she'd imagined for about a day or two, anyway. She noticed that despite having removed one of his gloves earlier, he was still wearing the other, so she slipped that one off as well.

Kristoff lit the fireplace for them, then lingered near the door. “Are you coming?”

“No, I think... I'll wait for him to wake up.”

“I can't let you be here by yourself when that happens.”

“Kristoff...”

“Huh? Wait, what am _I_ , shaved ice?” Olaf asked. Kristoff seemed to act as if he hadn't even heard the remark.

“I still don't see why you won't let the guards take care of this. If he really tried to kill you-”

“He _didn't_!” was Anna's immediate, reflexive reply. Then the second guesses hit her, throwing her for a loop. “Or, well... _Maybe_ he did? But I don't believe he's a bad person! He can't be!”

“He had Elsa- the _queen_ imprisoned using a vague sense of authority that you left in his hands. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound quite right to me.”

“He was probably just... confused o-or... _Oh_! You know how people get delusional when they've been in the sun for too long? Maybe it was like that, but with _snow_!”

“Hnnn...”

“Say what you want, Kristoff, but I'm not leaving his side! There's a perfectly good explanation and I'm sure once he wakes up, he'll tell us what it is.”

To make her point clear, she grabbed an ottoman and slid it closer to the couch. Keeping her eyes locked with Kristoff's proved to be her downfall, as she sat down in such an unbalanced manner that the ottoman almost keeled over sideways. Olaf managed to grab her just in time and sit her back upright. Following that, his twiggy hand remained on her shoulder as a testament of his support. Anna couldn't have asked for a better snowman friend.

Kristoff sighed overdramatically, then stepped away from the door. “If you're so insistent on staying here, then I'm staying here with you. _Someone_ with common sense should be here when he wakes up.”

“Thank you, Kristoff,” Anna said with a smile.

**To Be Continued**


	2. Fixer Upper

\---------

_“Enough! She is engaged to someone else! Okay?”_

_“...”_

_“So she's a bit of a fixer upper.”_

_“That's a minor thing.”_

_“Her quote "engagement" is a flex arrangement.”_

_“And by the way, I don't see no ring!”_

_“So she's a bit of a fixer upper, her brain's a bit betwixt. Get the fiancé out of the way and the whole thing will be fixed!”_

\---------

It had taken almost an hour for Hans to rouse from his slumber, and while Anna hadn't expected something entirely graceful, her standards had still been too high to account for reality. There was a rattling groan, crinkling of the nose and twitching of the fingers, all before Hans rolled over and slipped from the couch. He hit the ground with a loud thud, which seemed more than enough to _truly_ bring him back into consciousness.

“Ow...!”

“Hans! Are you- I-I mean...” Anna sputtered, rectifying herself once she'd caught sight of Kristoff's reprimanding glare. She sat herself up straight and lowered her voice into something more commanding. “How good of you to join us, Prince Hans.”

Hans stretched out his limbs, then propped himself up on his forearms to take in the current situation with a frown. “Wait, what...?”

“What _indeed_ ,” Anna said. A second later, she realized that perhaps that didn't make as much sense as she would've liked, so she hastily kept talking. “As you may have noticed, I succeeded in bringing back summer.”

That may have made even less sense, in hindsight, as Hans sat up to come face to face with Olaf. There was a long moment of silence. Then Olaf smiled widely and waved a single hand, uttering a cheerful “Gooood morning!”

Hans recoiled into the couch with such incredible force that Anna could hear its legs scraping along the floor. She could also hear Kristoff snickering under his breath.

“Um, alright, we brought back summer but kept one of the snowmen,” she clarified. “The point is, Elsa is alive and well. And _so am I_. So... Whatever plans you might've had for taking over the kingdom won't succeed!”

“Taking over...?” Hans repeated in such a way, it was as if the words were entirely foreign to him. Looking at him like that, he _must've_ been delusional when he'd suggested his only goal had been to marry into the throne. Right. This was all just one big misunderstanding!

“There's no use in acting dumb,” Kristoff said. “... Even if that look does suit you. Anna told us all about your little plan to take out Queen Elsa and rule Arendelle yourself!”

“For _shaaame_ ,” was Olaf's contribution to all this.

Hans said nothing. He only raised his hand to his head, eyes unfocused and brows furrowing. It was a far cry from the confident, slimy eel who'd been content to let Anna die. Still, it was just as far from the polite, chummy prince she'd bonded with. What was the truth and what was fiction? She couldn't stand not knowing.

“I have only _one_ question for you, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles- if that even is your real name.” Anna leaned forward on her ottoman, her face contorting with the most vicious glare she could muster. “Did you mean all the things you said on the evening of Elsa's coronation? Would you marry me for _me_ , even if I wasn't a princess? … Do you _love_ me?”

“... That's more than one question,” Olaf pointed out quietly.

Hans shuffled himself into a standing position with some difficulty, one hand still pressed his temple while the other held onto the couch for support. Lips quirked into a mean grimace, some twisted sign of amusement. “You're so naive. Did you _really_ think I could love someone like you?”

“Yes, I _did_! And I still _do_!” Anna insisted. She was just about ready to beg, if that was what it took to clear the contradictions in the air. “Please, Hans! Why would your kiss have done anything to Elsa's magic, if not for love? How could anyone lie about it that easily?”

“Humans lie and cheat all the time,” Kristoff grumbled under his breath.

“No! That's not what happened!” Anna snapped at him. Getting more riled up and fearful by the second, she jumped up from the ottoman and made a grab for Hans's bare hand.

All hell broke loose.

A faint glow of blue, bordering on purple, peeked out from beneath Anna's palm, seemingly originating from Hans's own skin. It surfed up his wrist, was still faintly visible through the fabric of his sleeve and finally surged along his chest and head. Eyes wide, he pulled his hand out of Anna's grip and startled as she was in that moment, she allowed it. Hans fell backwards, into the couch, which then toppled over and hit the ground. As for Anna, Kristoff caught her from behind before she could even so much as stumble too far back.

“Whoah! _Hans_!” she cried out, her attention on the pair of legs curled along the edge of the couch; the only part of her fiancé still visible.

Kristoff, it seemed, had entirely different concerns. “Was that _magic_?!”

“Wait, _what_?!” Anna had to crane her head in an awkward angle to see the stunned look on her friend's face. “How is that possible? _Elsa_ is the one with magic, not me!”

“I don't know...”

For a few seconds, they stood dumbstruck. Then Anna realized that Kristoff was still holding onto her with both hands, so she hastily took a few steps to the side and heard him clearing his throat awkwardly.

In the meantime, Olaf had already waddled around the couch to assess any damage done to Hans. “Hey, uh... Guys? Anna's true love doesn't look so good.”

That certainly was enough to clear the tension in the air and replace it with newborn dread. Anna scrambled her way to Hans as fast as she could, then dropped to her knees by his side. She could tell that Kristoff was hovering right behind her, perhaps expecting to step in once again, but paid it no mind. Hans was breathing in an irregular squeak, eyes open and unseeing. Aside from that, there was no trace of possible magic to be seen.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and when she didn't receive a response, added a quiet: “... Hans?”

He blinked once. Then twice. A tilt of the head. Finally, he looked up at her as if he'd only just awakened from deep slumber and was still getting his bearings. “Anna?”

Something very funny was going on. Something that was dividing Hans into the man who wanted to marry her and the man who despised her. She could guess which one she was facing right now, but she had to be certain. She knew exactly how to put it to the test, too.

“I mean, it's crazy,” she began, her voice taking on the hum of a song. “We finish each other's...”

“... Sandwiches,” said Hans without so much as a hint of mockery.

Anna laughed, relieved. _That_ was the Hans she knew! She pulled him into a sitting position, holding him close to her chest, but it became evident that whatever was haunting Hans still existed. He cringed and doubled up, pressing his palm against his forehead. “Something's wrong...” he murmured. It seemed as if he might pass out again at any moment.

“Wait a second!” Olaf blurted out quite abruptly. “ _I_ know what this is! Headaches, clumsiness, irritability, sudden moodswings... This must be _menopause_!”

Kristoff grunted so very loudly, it saved Anna the need to respond at all. Poor Olaf; his heart was in the right place and most of the time his lack of knowledge was endearing, but sometimes it really hit a bad tone.

“Do you think Hans was _cursed_ by someone?” Anna asked, because that was about the only explanation she could still piece together at this point.

“Maybe,” said Kristoff, leaning in a bit closer to try and get a better look at Hans's face. Anna wasn't sure what good that would do. As far as she could tell, Hans was the same as ever. Either way, for someone who still had every reason to be leery, Kristoff's expression was surprisingly gentle. “... I've heard my family talk about curses before, but I don't really know how to tell. If we want to be sure, Grand Pabbie's our best bet.”

“Right! The _trolls_! They knew how to save me from Elsa's magic, so they'll know how to save Hans too! Come on, let's go right now!”

“Ri-Right now?”

“ _Now_!” Anna insisted, slinging Hans's arm around her shoulder so she could get him back on his feet. As it turned out, her fiancé was heavier than she'd imagined and her knees buckled within two seconds.

Kristoff sighed and took Hans's other arm, pulling most of the weight off Anna's shoulders. “How are we going to get him there? I don't have a sled anymore, remember? And there's no way Sven can carry three people.”

“We'll borrow a sled from the stables! They've got plenty of them!”

\---------

“ _Kristoooff's hooomeee_!”

Bulda's delighted voice echoed through the Valley of the Living Rock, followed by a thunderous rumble as every single troll rolled towards the sled. The sun had already set several hours ago, allowing them full freedom to move and chatter as they so desired. It was good that they were up and about in this time of need, Kristoff thought, but it was also overwhelming.

The trolls had surrounded them within seconds, standing upright to reach their full height- which still wasn't very impressive- and faces glowing with delight. Sven cooed at them in a friendly greeting. Their chattering was the sort of noise that most other humans would lose track of, but not Kristoff. He could pick out every individual voice from the hubbub.

“And he's brought _Anna_!”

“She's _cured_!”

“See, true love's kiss saved the day! Now they'll be together forever!”

“Hold it, _hold it_!” Kristoff shouted, jumping to his feet and waving a hand. He was hoping to get his troll family in line before they could say even more things that were sure to cause embarrassing situations.

But they weren't having it. Rambunctious and quick to jump to conclusions as ever, they swarmed over to Anna's side of the sled, forcing her to stay in her seat. She tried to get a word of her own in, but was cut off by loud clatters as the trolls began to pile atop one another to reach eye level.

“Didn't we tell you, dear? Our Kristoff's the best!” Bulda proclaimed with no lack of pride.

“Always a hero, that's our boy. I wouldn't have expected any less of him,” Cliff added.

“Oh- Well, he _is_ a hero! But he didn't-” Anna began, only to be interrupted.

“Aww look, she's absolutely smitten with him!”

Gothi came waddling towards them, carrying a book in one hand. “Will you be having the marriage ceremony right away, or do you need a few moments to prepare?”

“For the last time, _nobody_ is getting married!” Kristoff cried out.

Every single troll let out a howl of disappointment.

“Well, I mean...” Anna said, looking over her shoulder and into the back of the sled. That sort of naivety was enough to have Kristoff facepalm.

“Hi again, Kristoff's family!” Olaf called to them. “How are you tonight? We're doing very well, aside from this one little problem that we have.”

“A _problem_?” Pebble squeaked, and following that, the trolls once again engaged in low murmurs. They all looked antsy in a way that made Kristoff feel guilty. Humans only ever came to see the trolls when they needed help, didn't they?

Anna managed to step out of the sled, pushing her way past several pillars of trolls and forcing a smile. “It's good to see you all again! Really, it is! I'll definitely repay you for your help later, but for now... Someone I care about might've been cursed, so we were hoping you could have a look at him?”

Most of the trolls were taken aback, whispering amongst themselves, and Kristoff couldn't blame them. If he was being honest with himself, he still had his doubts about Prince Hans's current state. One didn't use the word “curse” lightly. Not only that, it felt absolutely pointless to manipulate someone who wasn't even part of the local royal family. Wouldn't a malicious sorcerer have cursed _Anna_?

Or maybe Kristoff just wanted to believe that Hans was a rotten traitor after all, because if he were the guy Anna wanted him to be... -No, that was stupid and selfish. Anna loved _Hans_ , not him.

Knowing she would have trouble by herself, he walked over to the back of the sled and lifted most of the weight. About an hour ago, Hans had returned to a state of only being _mildly_ awake, which was the same as being mostly unconscious and completely ragdoll in form. Just as they were sitting him down on the mossy ground, Kristoff spotted Grand Pabbie making his way to the front of the crowd. That was good. Pabbie would spot a curse a mile away.

“Everyone,” Anna announced loudly, still holding onto Hans's left arm. “This is my fiancé, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.”

Kristoff distinctly heard a few loud gasps from all around and following that, an uncharacteristic hush fell over the trolls. It was something he'd never heard before. He looked up to spot shifty eyes, along with handwringing and some feet being scraped over gravel. An uneasy feeling settled itself in the pit of his stomach.

“... So uh. Grand Pabbie. What's your verdict?” he asked, his gaze honing in on the one troll he could still trust to have a sober demeanor.

But even _Pabbie_ looked apprehensive. When he spoke, it was a strained, straggling sort of voice. “ _Well_... Yes. Yes, that could very well be a curse...”

“So you can fix him up, right?” Anna asked without missing a beat, her face full of cautious optimism.

“Errr,” said Pabbie.

“What makes you so sure it's a curse?” Bulda asked out of nowhere.

“Right! Maybe it's _not_ a curse! Maybe that's just how he is!” Rockwell chimed in. He seemed awful excited at that prospect.

Olaf jumped down from the sled to position himself in front of Anna, absorbing all the attention like a sponge. Kristoff braced himself for what was to come, because he didn't trust Olaf to explain a situation as far as he could throw him. … Which, to be honest, was still pretty far.

“Weeell...” the snowman began, “First Anna thought he was a good guy and her true love! And they danced and did something called sock gliding, but I don't know what that is because I wasn't there for that part. I hadn't been born yet. But then Elsa stormed out of Arendelle and I _was_ born, and Anna left Hans behind to go after her. It was a fun adventure for all! Then her heart got frozen and we were all like “Oh nooo, she needs her true love!”- remember that?”

“I remember!” Pebble chirped.

“So we took her back to Hans and suddenly he was acting like he _wasn't_ Anna's true love, but when she kissed him it undid some of Elsa's magic in her heart! So we thought “hey, maybe he _is_ her true love after all!”, and we went back to see him later. Except he was all out of it and when Anna grabbed his hand... _Poof_! There was a flash of _magic_! And then he was better, but not really _better_ better because his head's still in a tizzy.” Olaf paused for a few seconds to take a deep breath, then added the words: “And now we're _here_!”

Once again, the trolls were exchanging shifty glances with one another and a possibility dawned on Kristoff. One so twisted, he didn't dare voice it out loud. If anything, he could barely believe it, and yet...

“Pabbie! Everyone!” he called hastily. “I need to talk to you for a minute. Over there. _Alone_.”

“Kristoff, don't you think we should-”

“ _Now_!”

There was another loud rumble as the trolls followed him to the other side of the clearing, out of earshot for Anna, Olaf and even Sven. While all three of them were shooting him a curious, maybe even _skeptical_ stare, he dismissed them with a wave of his hand. He sank to a crouch and the trolls all surrounded him as if they were building a wall. Their expressions were unreadable in the glow of their crystal necklaces, but Kristoff made sure to shoot each and every one of them a piercing glare before speaking.

“... Did you curse Prince Hans?” he asked, surprised his voice could even reach such a low note.

The reaction was immediate. Most trolls gasped, others began to sputter. Bulda slapped both hands to her mouth and Soren, who'd been standing atop one of his brethren, fell to the ground. Once again, their responses became a buzz of hushed noise.

“ _Kristoff_!”

“What are you _saying_?”

“Nooo!”

“We would _never_!”

Kristoff drew a deep breath, then focused his attention solely on Pabbie and tried again. “ _Did_ you _curse_ Prince Hans?”

If Pabbie's uncomfortable, wishy-washy “Ehhhh” wasn't already bad enough, it was Bulda who sealed their fate. “So what if we had, huh?” she asked, placing both hands on her hips and looking just about ready to fight anyone stupid enough to cross her.

Kristoff was far from intimidated. He'd been around the trolls long enough to know they were full of hot air. Not only that, he was angry enough to throw caution to the wind. “I can't _believe_ you!” he roared at them. Then, hearing his voice echo throughout the valley, he hastily got to his feet to peek over the wall of trolls. Anna, Olaf and Sven were all staring their way.

A brief silence followed.

“Aha... Hahaha... Sorry about that. No worries!” he called to his friends, shooting them a thumbs-up. Then he hastily ducked back down to continue hissing at his supposed family. “How _could_ you?”

“It was all for _you_ , Kristoff!” Bulda said. “Anna is _your_ true love! How could we just stand by while you let her throw her life away for that... that Hans human? She's only known him for a few days, you know.”

“ _I've_ only known her for a few days!”

“But that's okay, because she's your _true love_!”

“Stop saying it's true love!” Kristoff snapped at her. Now, for the first time, he began to realize that his family were no experts at all. How _could_ they have been, if Hans's love for Anna was enough to put a dent in Elsa's magic? Had it not been for the curse, maybe his kiss would've cured her all the way and she'd never had to put herself in danger on the fjord. Their poor judgment and supposed good intentions had almost gotten Anna _killed_.

“Kristoff...”

“ _Tell_ me what you did to Prince Hans.”

Pabbie sighed and hunched his shoulders. “Well, as you know, there is very little we can do with the heart. It stands firm in its beliefs and its feelings. The _head_ , however, is easily tricked. So we _maaay_ haaave... played around with some memories and how they affect Hans's deepest desires.”

“Right! He was real close to the North Mountain just after you and Anna left. Close to Elsa's ice castle,” Cliff added, idly playing with his crystal necklace as he spoke. “Troll magic works best when Pabbie can touch the person we're bewitching, but there was no time to lure Hans to our valley, so we all banded together for a... What did you call it, Pabbie?”

“Long distance enchantment. It did the trick, but it wasn't as strong as we had hoped. If Anna truly did manage to kiss him, it must've triggered the love Hans still held in his heart. This means that the head and the heart are now in conflict.”

Kristoff buried his face in both hands. He wished he could place all the blame for this situation on his family, but it just wasn't that simple. They'd gone through with such a horrible act because they'd believed it was in _his_ best interest. This meant that even if he'd had nothing to do with it, it was still kind of his fault. That also meant it was his responsibility to set things right.

“ _Fix. Him_ ,” he snarled through his teeth.

“I don't know if that's a good idea, Kristoff,” Pabbie said. “Hans holds darkness- both inside his head and his _heart_. We saw it as we were tweaking his memories. That sort of thing could still set him on the wrong path.”

“I don't care. Anna loves him and he loves Anna. You had _no right_ to meddle with an innocent man's head and you had _no right_ to take Anna's happiness away.”

“We didn't-”

“If you don't fix Prince Hans right now, I will never speak to you again. _Ever_. And I'll tell the Queen of Arendelle what you've done. I'm sure she'll be very interested to know all about what you've been doing behind her back.”

It became clear that some of the trolls were swallowing their objections. They looked indignant to the point of bursting into a fine gravel. Others, Bulda included, appeared to be more hurt by Kristoff's attitude than anything else. They all turned away and swarmed around to form their own circle, now no longer including him. He couldn't make out the whispers they were engaged in, so he decided he might as well let them have that much privacy, so long as the outcome was on his own terms.

About fifteen seconds later, they were once again facing him, bobbing their heads in solemn nods. “Alright. We'll do it. But don't say we didn't warn you,” Bulda announced.

The trolls returned to the sled, Kristoff trailing along in their wake. Hopefully, this meant the whole mess would finally be over and there'd be no more magical shenanigans of any sort. He was growing quite sick of those.

Pabbie stepped up to Hans's barely-conscious form, acting as if it were no more than a sack of potatoes as he instead addressed the girl by his side. “Princess Anna, it is our belief that Prince Hans was indeed... cursed. However, it is easily remedied.”

“Really?!” Anna was so excited, she clapped her hands together. In doing so, she finally dropped Hans's arm, which came about an inch from hitting Pabbie across the head.

“Really. We need only set his head back in order.”

Anna squealed in delight, Olaf waved his arms and even Sven looked relieved. Kristoff couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed. He dug his hands deep into his pockets and watched as Pabbie did his thing.

\---------

Hans had never had a dream quite like this one before. It was as if his whole life was being replayed through his mind, most of it at such a rapid speed that he could barely make sense of it. Some moments lingered, though, and they seemed to smack him in a painful way as they did so. That was no surprise, as most of his life _had_ been painful. Even with his mother occasionally comforting him and Lars offering him words of advice, even with servants taking pity on him, no one had ever _quite_ been on his side. No one had ever _quite_ believed in his knowledge or his strength.

But then he'd met Anna.

And it was funny, really. The only reason he'd wanted to serve as the Southern Isles's representative had been to prove his worth to a father who thought very little of him, and so, he hadn't expected the visit to be anything more than a courteous appearance. He hadn't thought he would ever fall in love, or even if he did, that love even _mattered_. The King of the Southern Isles had never made plans to forge any more than twelve alliances, leaving Hans the odd one out and for the longest time, he'd been fine with that. All of his brothers were already wrapped up in their arranged marriages to women who were expected to fulfill a _duty_. It was the sort of business transaction he could've lived without.

His first encounter with Anna had knocked him off his feet about as much as it'd done to her.

And this was where his memories were beginning to get especially muddled. Much like a creased shirt or a crumpled piece of paper, his mind required a bit of stretching and pulling to get back in order. He'd met up with her again on the night of the coronation. He'd fallen for her head over heels. She understood what it was like to be rejected by family, but she was a better person than Hans could ever be, because she'd gone after her sister through a blizzard. She'd still trusted Elsa, despite everything. She'd left Arendelle in his hands, and Hans had felt woefully unprepared, because his father had never taught him to how to rule. As it turned out, he didn't _need_ that sort of knowledge. He had been kind to the people of Arendelle, ushering them towards shelter and warmth, and that had been enough for them.

And then... Anna had gotten lost out there in the snow. Her horse had come back alone, and Hans had gathered up some troops to go after her. He couldn't bear to lose her. They'd found a castle made of ice, the queen hiding inside, and...

What had happened next? Something about a fireplace, sandwiches and a sled? That must've been a dream for certain. And he must've lost consciousness somehow, because he came to find that he wasn't standing up. He was sitting, being held in someone's embrace. His eyes flickered open and while he expected to see the pristine white of snow, he was instead met with a blur of dirt, rock and moss. It took a few seconds for his vision to truly focus and once it had, Anna's face swooped in right in front of his own.

“ _Hans_! You're awake! _Finally_!” she said, the loudness of her voice informing him that he was suffering from a mild headache.

“Anna? What are you...?” He trailed off, then really, _truly_ realized that she was situated right there in front of him. She was alright and they weren't sitting in the freezing cold of a faux winter. He sat up straight with a jolt, relief flooding through him. “It's _you_! You're _safe_!”

“ _Of course_ I'm safe!” She chuckled and slung her arms around Hans's chest again, resting her head on his shoulder. “And so are you! And so is _everyone_!”

“You brought back summer.”

“I sure did. Elsa's waiting for us back in Arendelle.”

“Back in...?”

Hans blinked, then took in the rest of their surroundings. He was leaning back against an enormous sled, a reindeer at the front of it. A very tall stranger, impatient at best and _frustrated_ at worst, was standing nearby. Then, only a few feet away, stood a whole horde of rock-like creatures. At first, Hans mistook them for statues, only to realize that they were moving and breathing.

Naturally, he attempted to scramble backwards in alarm, only to hit his head on the sled. “Ow” was the first word out of his mouth, followed soon after by “what are those things?!”

“Hey! A little respect, please!” said one of the creatures.

“Hans, these are the trolls,” Anna explained in a gentle tone of voice. “They saved us! They know all about magic and all about love. Turns out, true love was what we needed to help Elsa control her powers! Not to mention, they broke a curse someone placed on you.”

“... Wait, what?”

“It's fixed now! Don't worry about it!”

How was Hans _not_ supposed to worry about that?! A _curse_?! Who was that 'someone' who felt it necessary to curse a man as unimportant as him?!

Three seconds passed during which his mind was reeling. Following that, he realized that he owed the trolls a great debt- greater than anything he could ever repay. He broke free from Anna's hold and stumbled to his feet to peer down at the rock creatures, then curled his spine into the deepest bow his body would allow. “I need to formally extend my gratitude to you, the- err, _community_ of trolls, as well as my apologies for any insult or trouble I may have caused. It was not my intention to disrespect you. Please, accept my humbled words.”

The trolls said nothing. There was, however, one other voice which spoke up from right beside Hans. “Oooh, what a _gentleman_!”

He blinked, then turned his head to receive a whole new shock. Sitting- or _standing_?- on the side of the sled was a small, animate snowman. Memories of the golem guarding Elsa's castle flashing through his mind, he found himself leaping backwards and reaching for a sword he wasn't even carrying. “Sn- _Snowman_!”

“I'm sorry, haven't we been through this already?” the snowman asked, looking to Anna. She was so very calm about all this, it must've been about as self-explanatory to her as the trolls. Hans wondered vaguely whether magic was deeply ingrained into Arendelle's culture, or whether Anna had been through so much these past few days that nothing fazed her anymore.

“Yes, he's a snowman. But he's our _friend_ ,” she clarified. “Elsa made him- obviously- but he would never harm so much as a fly.”

“Oh ho ho ho! Not even a flea on Sven's head!” the snowman said. Hans couldn't muster up the energy to ask who on Earth _Sven_ was, as he already had more than enough information to process right now. It wasn't as if he could've gotten a word in to begin with, as the snowman was still chattering on. “All my other friends say I'm the warmest, gentlest soul... Or at least, they would if I _had_ any other friends, but Anna, Kristoff and Sven are the first true friends I ever made, and Elsa is- well, she's _Elsa_... _OOOH_ , maybe _we_ could be friends, Hans! You could teach me all about Southern Iiisles, and about daaancing, and about long walks on the beeeach...! I'm _Olaf_ , by the way.”

Hans blinked, then glanced towards Anna with a wry smile. “I don't think I've ever heard a snowman talk quite this much.”

Anna snorted into her hands and even the reindeer uttered a noise of amusement. It was at strong odds with the trolls, who still hadn't made a single sound, and the tall stranger who was pretending not to be a part of the conversation.

“Regardless, I would be honored to be your friend, Olaf,” he said. The snowman looked utterly delighted at the prospect, and he couldn't help but feel that maybe Anna had oversold him. Nobody in their right mind had ever wanted to be friends with him before, after all. But then... A magical talking snowman was just out of place enough to fall into the realm of 'freaks' his brothers would've attributed to him.

“Great! Ooh, I just knew the two of you would hit it off!” Anna said. She grabbed a firm hold of Hans's hand and began to tug him to the front of the sled, where the reindeer and the tall stranger were standing. In the face of such a glowering scowl, Hans would've preferred to keep his distance, but Anna wasn't giving him a choice in the matter. She pulled him up so close that he could feel the reindeer's breath on the side of his neck, even as she moved into cheerful introductions. “And this is Kristoff, and that there's _Sven_! I know Kristoff looks a little bit gruff- especially right now, wow, I told you not to eat those funny mushrooms. But the both of them helped me out a lot when I was searching for Elsa. I don't think I would've made it up the North Mountain without them!”

Still feeling about five inches tall beneath Kristoff's moody stare, Hans attempted another bow which immediately felt stiff and out of place. His father would've surely scolded him for taking a submissive attitude towards a commoner. Now especially uncomfortable, he straightened himself up again and instead held out a hand. “It's good to meet you, Kristoff.”

The gesture wasn't returned. While Kristoff's eyes did shoot down towards Hans's hand, he merely shrugged his shoulders and uttered a noise which sounded closer to “meh” than anything else. Three seconds later, a large, wet reindeer tongue moved along the back of Hans's hand. He couldn't even bring himself to be disgusted. Sven, at least, seemed friendly enough, and his fingers had been drenched in more than their share of animal saliva thanks to his horse, Sitron. He idly wiped his hand on his pants, then ruffled the fur of Sven's neck, smiling.

“Well, we should return to Arendelle,” Anna decided. “If we leave now, we'll be there before dawn and we don't want to worry Elsa. Thanks again for everything, everyone!”

Anna clambered onto the passenger's seat of the sled's front, so Hans reflexively did the same. It wasn't until he'd sat down that he realized there was barely enough room for Kristoff, who would surely be driving this thing. Should Hans be sitting in the back instead? Anna wasn't having that, though, as she immediately took hold of his arm with both of her own.

Now the only delay was Kristoff himself, who was standing a short distance away, surrounded by trolls. They were all engaged in a hushed conversation and when Hans strained his ears, he was sure he could hear his own name being mentioned.

“Kristoff! Are you coming?” Anna called out to him. “You can't stay here, you know! We need to return the sled, and I'm sure Elsa will want to thank you for everything you've done.”

Kristoff hung his head, broke away from the trolls and joined them on the sled's bench. As a result, Hans was uncomfortably squished between him and Anna. Olaf remained behind them, the entire back end of the sled to himself. A whip of the reins later, they were moving out of the valley and back down the mountain. Everything was going to be just fine.

Still, when Hans looked back over his shoulder, he found the distant glow of the trolls's necklaces to be a little ominous.

**To Be Continued**


	3. Love is an Open Door

\---------

_“Are you sure this is what you want, Kristoff?”_

_“Yeah, just look at them! She's getting pulled in by his wily charms all over again. Who does he think he's fooling?”_

_“True love, my nubby foot!”_

_“Just let us rearrange Hans's memories again! And we'll wipe him from Anna's memories while we're at it, so there's no chance they'll ever kiss again.”_

_“Enough! This is just how it's supposed to be, alright? She loves Hans and that's all there is to it.”_

_“But Kristoff... What about you? Are you really willing to let her go?”_

_“I...”_

_“Kristoff! Are you coming? You can't stay here, you know! We need to return the sled, and I'm sure Elsa will want to thank you for everything you've done.”_

\---------

The journey from the Valley of the Living Rock to Arendelle had never felt quite this _long_ to Kristoff before. For a good portion of the trip, Anna had narrated her trek to the North Mountain, as well as her return to Arendelle and salvation of Queen Elsa, all with some help from Olaf. While those two definitely embellished some aspects of the story here and there, they gave credit where credit was due and so, Kristoff could still stomach it. But now that Hans was all caught up on Anna's adventures behind his back, something far more sickly was happening: Anna was subjecting her fiancé to a fierce interrogation. One which, in Kristoff's opinion, was long overdue.

“So what _is_ your last name, anyway?” she was asking.

“It's Westergaard. Didn't I tell you?”

“Wait... The royal family of the Southern Isles is called _Wester_ gaard? Shouldn't it be... Southergaard?”

“Ha ha ha, I always wondered the exact same thing! That's why I can tell you with certainty there isn't a single book in the libraries to explain it.”

“That's a shame... So what's your brothers' names?”

“You want to know all of them?”

“I'll have to learn eventually, won't I?”

“Let's see... Caleb, Franz, Lars, Jurgen, Erhard, Adelbert, Boris, Gunther, Fritz, Oskar, Rudi and Runo.”

“That's... That's a _lot_ of names...”

“Twelve of them, yes. I can write them down for you later, if you want.”

“Yes, please! Favorite food?”

“Pancakes.”

“ _Huh_. Well, I guess that makes more sense than sandwiches. Favorite drink?”

“Chocolate milk.”

“ _Me too_! Best friend's name?”

Hans was quiet for a moment. Then, finally, he said “Sitron.”

“Sitron...” Anna repeated. There was a loud thump as she suddenly sat back in her seat. “Wait, isn't that your _horse_?”

Kristoff tore his eyes off the path ahead for a quick sideways glance to his passengers. Hans shrugged his shoulders and Anna, who was frowning up at the sky, didn't notice that the prince's smile was a bit too wry to be lighthearted. … Was his best friend seriously a horse? Not that Kristoff could talk, given who his own best friend was, but he'd expected a prince to be surrounded by adoring public.

“He's a good horse,” was all Hans ultimately said on the matter. Luckily, Anna allowed the topic to drop.

“I guess he is! So what's your foot size?”

“That's- Well... Foot size doesn't _matter_ , does it?” Hans asked, and chancing another sideways glance, Kristoff noticed that he was wringing his hands in his lap.

That was another question answered, Kristoff supposed, and the corners of his mouth curled into a victorious smirk. Almost as if _sensing_ his amusement, Anna leaned across the sled to punch him in the arm. While he flinched, it didn't change his facial expression in the slightest.

“You're right, Hans. It _doesn't_ matter,” Anna insisted. “And just to set the record straight, do you pick your nose?”

Hans was appalled. “What? Of course not! Why would you ask me that?”

“Because a certain _someone_ seems to believe that all men do it. Even princes.”

Kristoff could just about _feel_ Anna's eyes burning into the side of his head, so he made sure to keep his gaze locked on the road. He didn't feel like getting pulled into another argument like that.

“Well, he's not entirely wrong,” Hans said, much to his surprise. “I've seen at least five- no, _six_ of my brothers do it. I expect a few more of them do it out of sight.”

“ _Eeewww_! Nooo! That's disgusting! Why would you _tell_ me that?!” Anna howled.

The tone of utter dismay over something so trivial was enough to have Kristoff laugh under his breath. By his side, he heard Hans chuckling too. … Okay, so maybe the 13th prince of the Southern Isles wasn't such a bad guy after all.

\---------

Arendelle was still a bit of a mess. Now bathed in the light of the rising sun, Anna could make out every single cracked home and every single damaged ship in port. It had all seemed so menial in the big picture. As they moved through the streets and towards the castle, they passed several puddles and floods. All of Elsa's ice must've caused underground pipes to break and now, some people were either without water or _with_ sewage. This was going to take a very long time to fix, but hey, at least everyone was warm again!

Luckily, most of the dignitaries's ships seemed to be salvageable, while the ones who'd fallen apart completely belonged to Arendelle. Anna wondered which one Hans had rode in on. Maybe it was that tattered heap of floating wood in the distance. The longer Hans was forced to stay in Arendelle, the better! Even with her new, sobering attitude towards her fiancé, the thought of him having to return to the Southern Isles didn't sit well with her. How was she supposed to get to know him better like that?

The moment they entered the castle courtyard, members of the staff came flocking at them from all directions, more than ready to fret and fuss. Gerda was front and center, leading the hubbub.

“Princess Anna! Where have you been?”

“Queen Elsa has been beside herself with worry!”

“Ooh, look at you! We'd only just gotten you cleaned up!”

“It's alright, everyone!” Anna declared, holding out both hands. “We just had a little errand to run, but it's done now! I'll stay put, I promise.”

There were even more disbelieving mutters and Anna supposed she had that coming. She slipped herself off the sled's bench to stand up straight and Olaf, ever the excitable one, landed right in front of her. “We were on a _quest_ to save my new friend, Prince Hans!”

Right on cue, Hans exited the sled behind Anna and placed a hand on her shoulder. He really was going to stay by her side from now on, wasn't he? Ecstatic and a little bit flustered, she did her best to hide the blush on her cheeks.

The castle doors opened and out strode Elsa, still wearing the same blue dress she'd donned yesterday. Anna had expected her to turn back to her usual tailor-made outfits now that that whole... ice castle thing was over with, but maybe this one was just more comfortable? Or maybe Elsa hadn't had an opportunity to change because she'd been up all night; she certainly _looked_ it. There were dark lines under her eyes and a bit of a stumble in her hasty stride.

“ _Anna_! What were you _thinking_?” she demanded once she was only a few feet away.

“Okay, okay... I'm sorry for worrying you. I know that I shouldn't have stormed off after, well, _you_ storming off caused problems, but it's okay! I left you a note to let you know I'd be right back, didn't I?”

“You really believe a _note_ excuses it? Where did you even _go_?”

“T-That's... Well... We just had some business to take care of in the Valley of the Living Rock,” Anna sputtered, knowing that it'd be best not to breathe a word about Hans's curse. Certainly not in front of so many people. Maybe later, when they were alone with Elsa, she could try giving a delicate, smoothe, absolutely coherent explanation.

“Hmph.”

Elsa's stare moved from Anna's face to Hans's, and immediately she knew there might be trouble. She had no idea just what sort of things Hans might've said to Elsa while under the influence of the curse, and _he_ wouldn't remember either. The most he knew was what Anna had told him; that he'd brought Elsa back to Arendelle and locked her in a cell. … Well, Hans wasn't being frozen solid on the spot, so that was a good sign, right?

“Your Majesty,” he began, and Anna hastily stepped aside so that he could take a bow without her standing in his way. “It's good to see you alive and well. Please accept my-”

“ _Why_ are you still here, Prince Hans?” Elsa cut across him, her voice as cold as the ice castle she'd holed away in.

“I-I...”

“Should you not be preparing for your return to the Southern Isles with your escorts?”

“I suppose... If that is what Her Majesty wishes, I will oblige. Though, if I may ask for a brief-”

“No, you may not.”

… Okay, Elsa was _definitely_ still sore about that whole prison thing, wasn't she? And if that was true, there was no way she would listen to Hans. She'd force him out of the kingdom _today_ , ship or no ship, and Anna might never see him again. There was no way she'd ever be allowed to visit the Southern Isles, that was for sure.

So it was up to Anna to keep him here. She would've wanted to discuss it with Elsa in private, but there was no time. She'd just have to ignore the castle staff surrounding them. Not even the notion that Kristoff was still standing within earshot, freeing Sven from the sled, could deter her. If she held her tongue now, it was all over.

“ _Elsa_. Please, listen,” she said, taking a step forward. “I know that you and Prince Hans have had your differences, but it was all just one big misunderstanding. He was only trying to do what's best for Arendelle- and that's because I _asked_ him to. He's a really good person and... And I _love_ him.”

Elsa sighed and shook her head. “Anna... I already told you. You can't marry a man you've just met.”

“I _know_ that. And you're right, I _can't_ marry him just yet. But that doesn't mean that I _won't_ , some day. Please, Elsa. Just let him stay here for a while longer. That way, I can figure things out at my own pace instead of rushing into something. The gates are open now, aren't they? What have you got to lose?”

Just to make her point clear, she moved closer to Hans and took his hand. Immediately, she felt his fingers curl around her own and became more at ease. Elsa looked exasperated, then admitted defeat. Maybe she was just too tired to argue after everything she'd been through these past few days. Maybe she just didn't want to lose Anna again. She turned her back on them with a flourish and began to walk back up the castle steps, passing some orders to servants as she went.

“Kai, please select a room for Prince Hans to stay in. I would prefer it to be the Western wing. Afterwards, please visit all the foreign dignitaries again. Keep an eye on the Duke of Weselton in particular. Gerda, escort Anna to her own room and be certain that she gets some sleep. Rolf, take that sled back into our stables. And Ingrid... I appreciate your dedication, but please take the rest of the day off. You don't look well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the staff chirped.

Anna released a deep breath and watched most of the servants disperse. Hans squeezed her hand one last time before releasing it and already, Kai was swooping in to take him away. This was evidently done against his will, as he made some very meek attempts to stick close to Anna, all of them failing miserably. Royalty or no royalty, Elsa was the one who was in charge and she'd stripped Hans of any authority he'd had before. Now he could do nothing but sputter protests as he was led towards the castle.

“This way, Prince Hans.”

“Oh, no, if I could just-”

“No need to worry, I will have anything you need from your ship moved into the castle. You need only provide us with a list and we'll take care of it.”

“Thank you, that's very kind. But Sitron-”

“Your horse has already been tended to by the stable staff. Come now, let's get you settled in.”

Olaf began to hop in one place, waving both arms frantically. “See you later, Haaans!”

Hans couldn't manage much more than a strained smile and a wave of the hand in Anna's direction before he was pushed through the castle doors. It was sweet, really! Anna made sure to return the gesture and allowed it to linger, even after Hans was ushered out of sight.

Gerda, luckily, was not as merciless as Kai. She stood back and allowed Anna to turn her attention to Kristoff, who was overseeing the return of the sled they'd borrowed. Well, this was going to be awkward. But then... Maybe Olaf was just _wrong_ about Kristoff's feelings for her. Yeah, that was probably it!

She strode over to him, and while Sven was more than happy to see her, Kristoff didn't acknowledge her presence in the slightest. It forced her to break the silence on her own accord. “Sooo... Kristoff! I guess everything's officially over now! Good times, _good times_...”

He shot a skeptical look her way. “You think a magical winter catching everyone off guard, a dangerous trek through the mountains and almost dying _more than once_ is a good time?”

“ _No_! No, none of _that_! I meant... You know, the beautiful things we've seen and how everything worked out in the end.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it all worked out,” he all but grumbled, his gaze back on the stables.

“Ummm...” Anna didn't realize she was swinging her arms back and forth until she felt a sting in her shoulders. Her muscles were still sore from all the cold, it seemed. Gerda was sure to usher her to bed soon, but she couldn't just leave things like that with Kristoff. Not after everything he'd done to help her, and everything she'd- “Oh! I promised you a replacement sled, didn't I?”

“Don't worry about it.”

“I _will_ worry about it! You need a sled for your ice business! So... You just stick around the kingdom for a few days, and I'll get you the best sled you've ever seen!”

He finally turned to face her, apparently anywhere between confused and outright baffled. “A few days?”

“Sure! I can't just give you _any_ old sled! And with everything that's going on right now, I might not be able to arrange it immediately. Sooo... You need to wait! Right around here! Just take it easy, enjoy the summer. _Oooh_ , you could stay in the castle for a while! Nobody would mind!”

“Your sister would mind. If she's that fussy about a prince staying here, imagine what she'd say about a... a homeless _ice harvester_.”

“Pssht, don't you worry about Elsa. I can talk to her. After everything you've done, this is the least we can do to thank you!”

Kristoff squinted up at the large castle walls surrounding them, then shrugged. “I'm not a castle kind of guy. Me and Sven would be way more comfortable in a barn.”

“Great! Then you can stay in the stables!”

“What? I was just-”

“It's _perfect_! Fresh hay and straw for Sven, and you can have your whole... peace and quiet thing. And Elsa can't complain either, because why _would_ she?”

“I don't think-”

“Hey _Rolf_ ,” she called towards the stables. “My good friend Kristoff here will be staying in the stables for a few days! Err- by order of the princess! So... Just leave him be, okay?”

It wasn't until the words had left her mouth and the excitement had died down a bit that Anna even realized what she'd just done. Having the guy who maybe possibly sorta had a crush on her living right door while she was trying to bond with her future fiancé was probably not the best idea. Then again, there were hints of a smile on Kristoff's face and that had her believe it really was the least she could do for him.

\---------

Anna was fast asleep, from what Hans had been told, but he couldn't get a wink of it himself. Perhaps it was because the afternoon sun was glaring its way through the curtains of his assigned bedroom, or perhaps it was because he'd already spent a great deal of last evening unconscious. Perhaps it was because someone had cursed him and nobody seemed to think it was too big a deal.

In the grand scheme of everything that'd happened, he supposed it _wasn't_ a big deal.

He couldn't spend too much time pondering it either way. Now that Anna had arranged his indefinite stay in Arendelle, his escorts needed to be sent back to the Southern Isles without him. Just because _he_ didn't want to return home didn't give him the right to keep his staff here. They'd already been through far more than they'd ever signed up for.

Not that the Southern Isles had spared too many people for his support. He had one bodyguard of sorts, two basic staff members and the bare minimum of crew to keep the ship afloat. Hans quite got the feeling that if he'd been assassinated at any point during this diplomatic mission, his father wouldn't have mourned much more than the expense report itself. That was a blessing in disguise, as it implied that his decision to stay in Arendelle wouldn't cause too much of an upheaval with his family. They didn't _need_ him there.

It had taken him about half an hour and a direct order to convince his staff that they could set sail without him. Once that was done, he took a stroll along the docks. Most of his time in the Southern Isles had been spent looking out over the sea and he found that the view from Arendelle was even nicer. The people around him were all bustling to get their affairs back in order, some too busy to spare him a second glance while others shot him a cheerful greeting. It was a relief to know that they remembered the good he'd done as opposed to whatever damage his cursed self might've caused.

As soon as a familiar voice reached his ears, he stopped in his tracks.

“This is unacceptable! I'm a victim of fear! I have been traumatized!”

Glancing to the right, he saw that the Duke of Weselton and his two thugs were being escorted to a ship by several men from Arendelle's guard. Just to rub more salt in the wound, the royal family's steward- wasn't his name Kai?- announced that henceforth, Arendelle would no longer do business of any sort with “Weaseltown”. Outraged, the duke had to be dragged onto the deck of his ship by the arm, where he continued to shout at anyone who would listen, or _wouldn't_ listen.

“How _dare_ you! Don't you understand what you're _doing_?! My people _need_ that trade agreement! Let me speak to the queen, I beg of you!”

Hans considered pretending he hadn't overheard anything. The duke had brought this upon himself. Then again, Weselton was a rather small duchy with very few local commodities. If indeed the trade agreement with Arendelle gave the people what they needed, cutting it short over the duke's personal actions would be hasty.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to slip away was taken from him. He hadn't moved fast enough and now the duke had honed in on him. His shrill voice once again echoed over half the port area. “Prince Hans! You must be having a good laugh!”

Swallowing down his apprehension, Hans made his way down the pier. He stopped in front of the gangway and much as it pained him to do so, he lowered his head in something of a bow. “Permission to come aboard?”

“Humph! It's not like I still have a _say_ around here,” the duke huffed.

Taking that as a “yes”, Hans stepped onto the ship. While the duke's two thugs moved their hands towards their swords, he was hardly impressed. They weren't in a position to do anything to him, and quite frankly, Hans would never give them a _reason_ to. He wasn't here to pick a fight.

“I'm sorry to hear about your trade agreement,” he said.

“ _Sorry_? You're _sorry_? Yes, _that_ will keep my people warm and fed during the true winter.”

“Well, you did attempt to have the Queen of Arendelle murdered.”

“Just as _you_ had her imprisoned in her own home! And why? To bring an end to her reign of terror! To save the people before they could freeze to death! Or did you believe I gave my men permission to act just for the fun of it?”

Those words caught him off guard. It would've been easy for Hans to tell himself to whoever had imprisoned Elsa wasn't really him, but... He was sure that if he'd still had his own wits about him during that time, he would've at least _considered_ the same course of action. Elsa had been a danger to herself and everyone around her, whether she'd wanted to be or not.

“Oh, I... I didn't say that,” he mumbled, fighting to keep a straight spine despite it all.

“ _Treason_! That's the word you used!”

“You were speaking of tradeable goods. Goods you didn't wish to see distributed to the people of Arendelle. It's only natural one would assume you had ulterior motives.”

The duke jabbed his pointy little index finger at Hans's chest. “But you are no different than I am! The worthless 13th prince of the Southern Isles... You can't convince me you didn't get a kick out of bossing the people around while the real rulers of Arendelle were away. So tell me, Prince Hans, what sort of measures will be taken against the Southern Isles?”

“Ah, well... There _is_ no trade agreement between Arendelle and the Southern Isles, so there is no appropriate measure to take,” Hans said, shrugging his shoulders just a bit. “And I don't quite appreciate what you are implying. I gave Princess Anna my support because I love her.”

“Hah! _Hah_! A- _hah_!” the duke hollered. He was riled up beyond an imaginary line now, stomping his feet and throwing his hands up into the air. “So you get away unpunished because you 'love' the princess, but my people are to starve? There is no room for emotion in _politics_. But that's just what happens when a country is led by _women_. No, not just _any_ women! A dangerous, unstable witch and her dimwit sister!”

That was the last straw for Hans, really. Up until now, he'd considered setting the duke up with another lingering dignitary for a new trade agreement, but all bets were off. He put his foot down, both proverbially and in a real sense, as he took a step closer to glower down at him. In turn, the duke moved towards one of his thugs, as if preparing to use him as a shield. That wouldn't do him much good. One could take cover from a sharp icicle being sent their way, but not from harsh words.

“I will not allow you to speak ill of Princess Anna! Or the queen! You are still a guest in this land and you have already overstayed your welcome!” Hans snapped down at him.

“Y-Y-You have no authority over me, Prince Hans!” The duke squeaked in reply, and it became clear that he was convincing himself more than anyone else. Wiping his hands down his vest to smoothe it out, he took on a more clear tone of voice. “But I believe this conversation is over, regardless. Good day to you, and good luck. You'll need it, should you intend to stay in this land any longer.”

Hans scoffed and walked away. As he did so, he could feel the glaring eyes of the duke's henchmen boring holes into the back of his head. He didn't know much about politics, it was true, but he was sure there wouldn't be any more problems within Arendelle from here on out.

**To Be Continued**


	4. The Snow Queen

\---------

_“It gets a little lonely, all these empty rooms. Just watching the hours tick by...”_

\---------

It'd been three days since summer returned to Arendelle and two days since Hans was allowed to stay indefinitely. With Anna's insistence that they needn't rush things now, the engagement was off the table. Hans would have to try again later, after a suitable amount of time had passed. He _did_ intend to try again, if only because Anna brought him joy in so many ways. He loved hearing her laugh, but perhaps just as important, she could make _him_ laugh. Her excitement was infectious. And he could gaze into her beautiful eyes for hours. There was no one else he'd rather marry.

Still, courtship was difficult, he came to find. Things had come so easy to him during the evening of the coronation, and even when he would say something wrong, Anna had laughed it off. Now he felt as if the eyes of the entire kingdom were on them. He rather expected Queen Elsa to judge their evolving relationship, prepared to utter an “I told you so” the moment Anna would begin to doubt herself. The pressure was making it difficult for him to truly enjoy himself.

Things had been very quiet so far. Perhaps even a bit too quiet. Or perhaps the duke's words had gotten to him more than they should've. Quiet was supposed to be good, wasn't it?

Still, he found his gaze moving through the breakfast hall every so often, expecting something- _anything_. There was only himself and Anna, and the occasional staff member who would offer to refill their drinks or bring more food. Not even Olaf was around to cause a disturbance. It was exactly as breakfast should've been.

Anna was Anna, of course.

“And one more on the top... _There_!” she pumped a fist in the air, looking quite proud of the pyramid she'd constructed out of bread rolls. The whole pile might shift sideways at any moment.

“That's very impressive,” Hans said with a smile.

“Isn't it? I've been practicing for years. Now I _dare_ you to stack them up higher than this.”

“Should we not be eating them?”

“Psh, bread isn't just for eating!”

“I think the baker might disagree. And it would be a waste if they were to fall.”

“Are you turning down my challenge? My _myyy_ , and here I thought Prince Hans of the Southern Isles was a brave, skilled man.”

Hans tried to stifle a laugh, ultimately reducing it to a snort. “I would _hate_ to disappoint. Excuse me, I'm going to need these.”

He took hold of Anna's plate and slid it over to himself. The pyramid collapsed, several bread rolls scattering over the table as he did so. Anna giggled into her hands, then sat back to watch him work. This shouldn't be too difficult, he was sure. He'd constructed quite a number of towers out of playing cards when he was younger.

One roll, two rolls, three rolls, four rolls to form the base...

“... Have you seen Queen Elsa these past few days?” he asked, keeping his eyes locked on the project ahead.

“Elsa? Uhh, I've seen her around a few times. Why?”

“I haven't spoken to her at all since... Well. I had hoped to thank her for her hospitality. And she's your sister. I ought to get to know her, but it feels as if she's avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you? Nooo! She's just really busy getting the kingdom back in order after the blizzard.”

“Doesn't she have servants to do that sort of thing for her?”

Anna hummed under her breath and from the corner of his eye, Hans could see her crossing her arms over her chest. “I guess she wants to do it herself. She's locked herself away for _years_ , so she might feel like she has a lot to make up for.”

“If that's how she feels, shouldn't she be making up for lost time with you as well?”

“She _will_! Absolutely! I mean, like I said, I've seen her around a few times. Just never... uh, when you were in the same room...”

Hans sighed. He stared at the construction of rolls for a few seconds, then placed another on top. “So she _is_ avoiding me.”

“Not on purpose! Elsa's not like that!” Anna insisted, though the notion gave her pause almost immediately. “… Well, not _anymore_ , anyway. She probably just doesn't realize you wanted to meet with her. Do you want me to go talk to her?”

“No, it's fine. I'll have to win her over with my own charm, otherwise there's no point.”

“Hah! You won _me_ over with your charm. I'm sure it'll be fine.”

One more roll and that finished the third level of the pyramid. Now things were going to get tricky, Hans realized. He could take a risk and place some rolls vertically, using them as pillars to increase height, but that would be a dangerous gamble. Perhaps if he-

“Oh, is that the time?!” Anna said quite suddenly. She got up from her chair so fast that the table shook and Hans's project, in turn, almost toppled over. _Almost_.

“Do you have somewhere else to be?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. Just some errands.” A brief pause, then Anna began to pile bread roll after bread roll onto her arm. “Here, I'll take these to go.”

“That many?”

“You did say not to eat them would be a waste! I'll see you later, alright?”

Anna made to leave, then stopped in her tracks and whirled round to face him again. Before he could even process what was going on, she'd leaned forward to press a kiss against his cheek. There was a soft thump as two rolls slipped from her arm and hit the floor.

“Whoops! Ha ha ha! Later!” she called. Then she was gone.

Still stunned, Hans pressed a hand against his cheek. Following that, he began to eat his rolls, because he might as well. They'd have to finish the challenge another day and in the meantime, he could devise a cunning strategy to make his roll construction as tall as could be.

\---------

“Olaf! Hold on!”

The snowman, which had been waddling along through a hallway, whirled around immediately. Rather, his _top_ half rotated immediately. His bottom and legs didn't turn until about five seconds later. Hans might never get used to this. Olaf was interesting, amusing and proof that Elsa's powers were immense, but he was just so _odd_.

“Friend Haaans!” he called, his usual cheery self. “How are you today?”

“I'm quite well, thank you.”

“Good. Keep at it.” Olaf turned to leave again.

“Ah, hang on, hang on!”

Hans made a grab for his arm, but that had been a mistake of sorts. The twig separated from the rest of Olaf's body and Hans went staggering backwards. When he looked down at the piece of wood in his hand, he saw that it was squirming in his grasp, so he hastily stuck it back where it belonged.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said.

“Oooh? What is it? Do you need a warm hug?”

A warm hug certainly wasn't what Hans had intended to ask for. Even so, Olaf was looking up at him with such giddy anticipation that he couldn't bring himself to turn it down. "Ah... Well, alright!" he said, crouching down and holding out both arms.

Olaf squealed and lunged towards him. Hans shuddered as a mass of cold pressed up against his chest, but he refused to let go. Despite all the discomfort that came with scooping a whole bunch of condensed snow up in his arms, the numbing embrace was oddly _soothing_. He held his odd new friend for as long as was needed, Olaf's personal flurry raining down on them. When the hug was finally broken, there was snow clinging to Hans's hair. It was soaking into his shirt as well.

Perhaps one of these days, Olaf would learn that his 'warm hugs' weren't so warm for whoever he was hugging.

"Thank you, Olaf. That was... refreshing," he said, brushing some of the moisture off his shoulders.

"I'm so glad I could help, Hans! You just let me know whenever you need another hug! I've got more than enough to spare!" Once again, Olaf turned to leave.

"No, wait!" Hans called, causing the snowman to freeze again. "Actually, there was something else I needed to ask of you. Something that's not a hug."

"Ooooooh?"

“You know Elsa well enough, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Can you think of something she'd like?”

“Sure. I'm thinking about it right now.”

Hans waited, but no clarification came. Olaf just kept smiling up at him. “... Ah. So what is it?” he asked.

“Her ice castle in the mountains! Elsa _loved_ that!”

“... Does she like anything _smaller_?”

“Me. She likes me.”

Hans pinched the bridge of his nose. He absolutely should've asked Anna instead. If only she hadn't run off so fast. “Let me explain. I was thinking of getting her a gift. So... Is there something that I could get for her that she would like? Something that she doesn't have yet?”

“Oooh! Why didn't you say so, Hans?” Olaf folded his arms over his chest, leaning backwards. “A _gift_... Maybe- No, she wouldn't like that. How abooout... Naw, that's even worse.”

A long silence followed. Hans supposed it was a lost cause. Elsa was the queen, so of course she would already have everything she wanted or needed. How was he meant to express his gratitude without a gift, though? Words alone wouldn't cut it.

There was a sudden, squeaky gasp of delight as Olaf clapped his would-be hands together. “I've _got_ it!”

\---------

Hans had been standing before Elsa's door for a while now, holding onto a small box. Time was becoming a blur. Had it been twenty seconds or was it already a full minute? He could still walk away, but then... If he did, all his hard work would've been for nothing. He could leave the box here for her to find, maybe include a note- No, that wasn't right either. He had to try. A deep breath, then he raised a hand and knocked rhythmically.

“Anna?” the queen asked from the other side of the door, and he felt his stomach sink.

Part of him had expected that she wouldn't have been around. Or perhaps he'd _hoped_ it. Either way, every single preparation he'd made was now gone from his head, leaving it blank. What did he mean to say, again?

“Um. No. It's me. Prince Hans. ... Of the Southern Isles.”

As soon as the last word left his mouth, he realized just how stupid that must've sounded. He bit the inside of his cheek and waited.

“Oh,” was the initial, dry reply, followed by: “Did you need something?”

Much as he'd braced himself for a distant attitude, it still flustered him. He thought of his family, with their high expectations and tendency to attack any stumble he made. -No, these weren't the Southern Isles. He could do this.

“Would you like to eat a snowman?” he blurted out.

A long silence. Hans wondered vaguely whether Elsa was now attempting to escape out the window. Finally, there were footsteps and the door opened to reveal her skeptical expression. “... I beg your pardon?”

“I apologize. That must've sounded like nonsense. Allow me to explain,” he said, feeling himself fumble with every sentence uttered. “I've been meaning to give you a gift, but it was exceedingly difficult to find something you would _want_. I had to ask Olaf for advice the other day. My search led me to the local chocolatier. At first, I intended to have him sculpt something for you. However, I realized that would be a rather hollow sentiment, so I asked him to give me a few lessons. As it turns out, working with chocolate is far more difficult than it seems.”

Hans chuckled uncomfortably under his breath and Elsa said nothing. That was foreboding. Why was he rattling on so much? He should just wrap this up and get out of her hair.

“Err. So anyway. Around my seventh attempt and with a lot of help from my tutor, I realized that this was as good as it was going to get. Here you are.”

He held out the box and after some hesitation, Elsa took it. From within, she pulled out a somewhat disheveled chocolate figurine of a snowman. But not just any snowman.

“... _Olaf_?” Elsa asked, tilting it sideways to get a better look.

“He's ah... lost one of his arms, it seems,” Hans pointed out, mortified. It must've broken off inside the box. “But I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.”

Elsa's eyes narrowed into a squint as she slipped the figurine back into the box. “If this is a bribe in order to obtain my blessing for your wedding...”

“No, not at all! I wanted to express my gratitude for allowing me to stay here, as well as my apologies for... you know...” Hans gestured with his hand, though he was unsure how that would clarify _anything_ he was trying to say. “All that happened during the coronation. And after.”

“I see. And is that all?”

“... _Yyyeeesss_?” he said gingerly, for it felt rather like a trick question. Trouble was, he wasn't certain what else would need to be addressed.

“Then, thank you, Prince Hans.”

With that, the door was snapped shut again. As he stared at the ornate carvings in the wood, he told himself to look on the bright side of things. She'd accepted the gift, so that was progress, wasn't it?

\---------

Still nothing. Hans had rather hoped the chocolate would've made a difference, but it'd been two days since then and Elsa still refused to be in the same room as him. Anna kept telling him that it was all in his head; that Elsa was _busy_ and she'd warm up to him in due time, but there was something in her eyes that spelled out doubt. This whole ordeal was probably hitting a bit too close to home for her.

It was hitting close to home for Hans as well.

He considered returning to the Southern Isles, because if he wasn't truly welcome here, what even was the point of staying? He wouldn't be wanted there either, but at least he wouldn't be intruding on someone else's hospitality. Trouble was, the Southern Isles didn't have _Anna_. He didn't want her to be stuck there, either. Not like his brothers' wives, who bore the appearance of some of the most miserable beings in this world.

Now it was Hans who was thoroughly miserable, lying outstretched on a wooden bench on one of the castle's balconies. It was another stifling summer afternoon, the sun glaring down at everyone from high up in the sky. If it weren't for the shade provided by an outcropping of the roof, his skin would've been turning a bright red by now. Unfortunately, he wasn't saved from sweating through the fabric of his clothes.

Footsteps echoed through the nearby hallway, drawing ever closer until they came to a sudden stop near the doorway. Quite expecting one of the castle staff, perhaps to insist he drink more water, he sat up straight on the bench and turned to face whoever had made an appearance.

It was Queen Elsa.

Startled and realizing he absolutely didn't look his best at the moment, he hastily brushed back some of the hair clinging to his damp forehead. “Your Majesty.”

“Prince Hans. … Did I disturb your slumber?” she asked, raising a single eyebrow at him.

“Ah? Uh, _no_. I wasn't sleeping,” he replied, a deep-settled instinct expecting to be scolded for such a thing. “I was only... thinking.”

Elsa looked as if she was about to keep walking, only to dismiss that hurry. There was an expression on her face that he believed to be pity. Ultimately, she stepped onto the balcony, sticking close to the wall and its shade. “I apologize for my behavior the other day. It was... not a good time for me.”

“Did Anna ask you to say this?”

“Well. Yes. But she was right. I should be kinder to her friends. And her loved ones.”

Hans sighed and hung his head. “It's not a problem, Your Majesty. I don't imagine it's easy for you to rule this kingdom after the three-year absence of a true monarch. ...And after everything that's happened.”

“No, that's only an excuse,” Elsa admitted quietly. “My parents had their affairs well in order and Kai did a good job of keeping them that way these past few years. The trouble is... I'm not like Anna.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, and when he looked up at the queen again, he saw that she looked a bit pained. Embarrassed, even.

“... I've never had friends before. I don't know how to make them.” She paused for a brief moment, then laughed under her breath. “Well, except for Olaf. I _literally_ made him. But snow is easy. When it comes to _people_...”

A mortifying realization hit Hans at those words. To take the situation this personally had been a crime of itself. It'd never been about disliking him or thinking Anna deserved better. Elsa had avoided him because she was _intimidated_ by him, and in a way, he could understand that mindset quite well. Now humbled, he straightened his spine and slid over on the bench to make room for her.

“The first step would be to take some time for them. Please, have a seat,” he said.

Elsa hesitated, then accepted the offer. The moment she settled down next to him, he became painfully aware that he was still sweaty and possibly smelly. Never did he think he would come to miss the fierce winter she'd caused, but there it was.

“What were you thinking about?” she asked.

Respecting Elsa's candid attitude, Hans supposed he'd have to answer truthfully as well. “... I was wondering whether I belong here.”

“Whether you belong here...?”

“I mean... It's only been a few days, and already it feels as if I do nothing but sit around, counting the hours as they while away. Anna was quick to decide that I ought to stay here, but I wonder if that's what's best.”

“Would you prefer to return to the Southern Isles?”

Hans scoffed quietly at that notion. “Heh... I'm certainly not needed there, either. My brothers have already taken all the important jobs. My days consist of gazing out the window, sorting father's financial administration and avoiding my family. The only reason I was even sent to Arendelle for the coronation was because Runo, one of my brothers, was to be married around the same time. The royal family deemed that to be more important than possible ties to Arendelle, but _someone_ had to represent us here.”

“Wait, so you missed your brother's wedding to be here for my coronation?”

“And the birth of another nephew or niece. Father said that when I return to the Southern Isles, they might have need for me in the nursery. Swapping the diapers of his grandchildren is about all I'm good for, in his eyes.”

Elsa folded her hands together in her lap and her lidded eyes narrowed. “Family is... complicated, isn't it? But I'm sure they love you in their own way.”

Hans felt his mouth curl into a smile and he honestly didn't know _why_. There was nothing amusing about her words, or even something he could sympathize with. It was easy for Elsa to utter something like that; she had a sister who'd knocked on her locked door every single day in hopes of getting her attention. A sister who would follow her all the way up a mountain through a blizzard. Hans had never had any of that.

He rolled up his sleeve a bit further, tilting his lower arm around and holding it out. “Do you see this scar?” he asked, tracing a line marred deep into his skin. “When I was six, Boris tripped me up quite purposefully. I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my arm. The bone was- well, no need to paint a vivid picture.”

“O-Oh, that's... That's awful.”

“My arm was bound for about two months. Father said it was just like a weakling to milk that injury. A _real_ Westergaard would've pushed through the pain. Perhaps that was his way of implying I'm _not_ a real Westergaard. Or perhaps that's what he wants to believe, as it would allow him to shirk any real connection and claim he's taken me in out of the kindness of his own heart. Regardless, I have several more scars like this one, each caused by one of my brothers. If that is how my family shows their love, their hatred would be a horrifying prospect.”

“Did you tell Anna about this?” was Elsa's very understandable query.

“No. Not yet,” he admitted. “I know that I ought to, if they're to become her in-lawed family. The trouble is, I'd like Anna to accept my proposal a second time because she loves me, not because she takes pity on me. So I suppose... Until she's truly sorted out her feelings, I can't tell her.”

An uncomfortable silence followed. He shouldn't have been so open, he realized. It was just like him to create tension with a woman who was already having difficulty connecting to other people. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“I apologize,” he said hastily, forcing another smile. “To answer your initial question, though it goes without saying now, I would not prefer to return to the Southern Isles. Arendelle has everything I could ever hope for. Your kingdom is truly beautiful. It would be amazing to be a part of it, somehow.”

Elsa rubbed her hands together for moment, then got to her feet. “I believe Arendelle has need for you, Prince Hans. You ought to be here not only for Anna, but for myself. As a friend. And if that is not enough, there may be a suitable job for you to do. From what I've been told, the royal guard was quite impressed with the way you took charge during, ah, the incident. Perhaps you ought to join them on their patrols sometime and see how you fit in.”

“... Really?” he asked, overwhelmed by what she was suggesting.

“ _Really_. It's the least I can offer.”

“Then, I believe you ought to give yourself more credit, Your Majesty. You already know exactly how to make friends.”

“Please, call me Elsa,” she insisted, her smile growing warmer by the minute.

“O-Oh no, I couldn't.”

“You _can_. That's an order.”

“... Alright.” Hans paused, then dared to push his luck. “Anna and I hope to see you tomorrow around eight o' clock in the breakfast hall.”

A chuckle and a nod. “I'll be there. Perhaps you could invite that other friend of yours who's been staying in the stables, too. … Kristoff, wasn't it?”

For a few seconds, Hans was dumbstruck. Kristoff was still hanging around near the castle? He realized now that aside from the recounts of Anna's trek through the mountains, he didn't know all that much about the man. Wasn't he an ice harvester or something like that? It seemed odd for him to be staying here when he had a business to run. … Was this why Anna kept smuggling breakfast food out with her?

His astonishment must've shown on his face, because Elsa's smile faded. “... Anna didn't tell you.”

“Ah. No.”

“Well, you know how she is. She's constantly looking to the next thing to draw her attention. I expect she forgot to mention it, then assumed she'd already done so.”

“Hmm. Perhaps.”

Elsa turned to leave, but seemed to think better of herself. She brought two of her hands together and twirled them around, white flakes taking to the air. Five seconds later, she was holding a large snowball. “Here. This ought to help you cool off,” she said, handing it over to him.

He accepted the gift in an awkward manner and immediately felt the cold numbing his fingers. Oh, how tempting it was to press that snowball directly to his face. He shouldn't, though. At least, not until the queen had left.

“Thank you, Your- Ah, _Elsa_.”

“You're welcome, Hans. I will see you and Anna tomorrow morning.”

He watched her go, then rose to his feet and wandered over to the balcony's edge. From where he stood, he could see most of the courtyard, as well as the entrance to the stables. Where was Anna at the moment? He didn't know. Before now, he hadn't thought it _important_ to know.

The snowball's cold was biting into the tips of his fingers, causing a mean sting, and he let it.

**To Be Continued**


	5. Reindeers Are Better Than People

\---------  
  
_“Reindeers are better than people. Sven, don't you think that's true?”  
  
“Yeah, people will beat you and curse you and cheat you. Every one of them's bad, except you.”_  
  
\---------  
  
“Tadaaah!” Kristoff heard Anna proclaim.  
  
He had no idea what she was 'tadaaah-ing', as he couldn't see it. Five seconds passed in silence, then she finally thought to remove the blindfold that she herself had stuck on his face. Standing right before him, in the middle of the castle courtyard, was a luxurious sled. It was bigger than his old one, he was sure. Most of its wood was painted black, but the trim remained untouched, polished to the point where it shone in the sun. There was even a new lute in the driver's seat.  
  
Sven was standing beside it, looking as smug as a reindeer could be.  
  
“Are you serious?” he asked, though he wasn't sure why. Anna wouldn't joke about something like that. Still, it looked so _expensive_...  
  
“Yes! And it's the latest model.”  
  
“No. I... I can't accept this.”  
  
He would feel far too leery riding around with something so fancy. His sled was meant to go all the way up into the mountains. Huge, heavy blocks of ice would need to be dumped into the back. It'd be all scratched up within a day. It sure was beautiful, though. He could already imagine how smoothly it would move through all the snow and muck.  
  
He couldn't accept it, but he really _wanted_ to.  
  
“You _have_ to!” Anna stomped a foot down, then wagged a finger at him. “No returns. No exchanges. Queen's orders. She's named you the official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer.”  
  
As if to make the point clear, Sven showed off a shiny medal around his neck. Kristoff would've wondered what sort of fool would bother giving a medal to a reindeer, but he already knew exactly who would've pushed for it. Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer sure had a great ring to it, but...  
  
“That's not a thing,” he pointed out.  
  
“Oh, sure it is. And it even has a cup holder. Do you like it?”  
  
The glee on Anna's face was enough to have him feel guilty. She didn't need to be this nice to him, and so, she must've really treasured their friendship. If she ever found out about the trolls' curse... Eesh, no, it was best that Kristoff hide that from her forever. He'd just have to graciously accept the gift and then step to the side. He hadn't seen Prince Hans around the castle at all this past week and he hoped to keep it that way.  
  
“I... I love it. It's perfect,” he mumbled. “Thank you.”  
  
“Good! I'm glad.” Anna began to bounce back and forth on the balls of her feet, glancing off towards the side. Then, suddenly, she stopped. “Oh! Elsa said she was going to turn the castle courtyard into an ice rink tomorrow night! That way, everyone can go ice skating. We decided this morning, at breakfast, so it's kind of a spur of the moment sort of thing. You'll be there, right?”  
  
“Aaactually, I should probably head out now.”  
  
“Out? Out where?”  
  
“Out to do my job. If I'm the official Ice Master and Deliverer, I should be getting my hands on some ice, right?”  
  
“Not really. If we need ice, Elsa can make some.”  
  
Kristoff felt his toes curl inside his boots. So much for being given an important title. Even Sven made a disgruntled noise.  
  
Anna must've realized her mistake, as she gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “N-Not that we don't _need_ you! It's just- If you want to take a break, you can take a break!”  
  
“... Listen. Thanks for letting me stay at the castle for a while. Really, it was great. But we both know I don't belong there. Me and Sven are going back to our old life in the mountains and you... You should go spend more time with Prince Hans.”  
  
“Oh...” Anna seemed almost dejected, somehow. She hung her head, chewing her bottom lip. “... But we're friends, right?”  
  
“Right. And friends let friends do their job,” he clarified. “I'll stop by and visit you from time to time. This place has the juiciest carrots for Sven, anyway.”  
  
“Weeell, alright. But you'd better be back soon!”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
“ _Promise_.”  
  
Anna was staring him down now, her eyes narrowed and defiant. He wasn't sure what she was getting so worked up over. She could make plenty of friends with ease now, so why would she still need him? Did she...? No, that was stupid. There was no way, and even if she did, she was engaged. Sort of.  
  
He cast a quick glance over to Sven, who huffed and rubbed the side of his head up against the sled. ...Weird. Usually, Sven was more helpful than this.  
  
Not knowing what else he could've possibly done in this situation, he turned his attention back to Anna and smiled. “I promise.”  
  
\---------  
  
Kristoff was packing up his things and leaving; Hans could see it from where he was standing by the library's window. If there were a green-eyed monster hiding inside him, it would've been happy to see him go, but he wasn't sure whether those were his feelings on the matter. Whatever voice was whispering in the back of his head was sowing doubt. Was Kristoff the reason that Anna had taken a step back from their engagement? Did she want to sort out her feelings towards Hans because she'd developed something towards Kristoff? If that was true, didn't the problem lie with _Hans_ for being unable to hold onto Anna's love? Was he not living up to expectations?  
  
Had it ever been love at all?  
  
Anna would've been the one to put his doubts to rest either way, but he was scared of bringing it up to her. What if those sort of accusations had her think even less of him?  
  
He hurried down to the stables, and by the time Kristoff had maneuvered his sled out the city, Hans was following on Sitron. It'd be fine. He'd be back by next day, he was sure, and he'd informed some of the staff of his whereabouts. Hopefully, by tomorrow his worries would be set aside and he could enjoy his time with Anna in peace.  
  
Keeping his distance had proved to be something of a mistake. The moment the path turned to forest, Hans instantly lost sight of the sled. He could still search for tracks in the dirt, yes, but it took more time and energy than he would've liked. The sun was slowly beginning to set and in the glow of dusk, everything was that much more difficult to make out.  
  
Over two hours had passed when he heard two distinctly different, curious sounds. The first was the grunt of a reindeer. The second was a deep 'plunking' sound, like someone was tugging at the strings of a musical instrument. Sitron became a bit unsettled, so Hans dismounted and tied the horse's reins to a branch for now. He'd be safe here. After a few calming strokes of Sitron's neck, he moved onward, towards the light of what must've been a campsite. He didn't dare intrude right away, instead halting beside an enormous tree to observe the scene.  
  
Kristoff had paused his trek for now, sitting back against the trunk of a fallen tree. The reindeer, released from its sled, had made itself comfortable on the ground beside him. What made the sight- or rather, the _sound_ \- so captivating was the music. Kristoff was tuning a lute, now playing several notes at a time to try and determine whether they were good enough. Hans had seen street musicians in the Southern Isles before, every single one of them desperate for enough money to eat. This was different. When Kristoff was content with the lute's sound and began to play, he wasn't doing it because he _needed_ to, or even because he wanted someone to hear. It was music for the sake of music. The warm tones seemed to illuminate the area. Hans stepped back into the shadow of the tree so that he could listen without being spotted. Maybe it was odd or even selfish to do so without permission, but he couldn't help himself.  
  
Once Kristoff started to sing, things took a turn for the strange. He was doing a duet with _himself_ , the second voice lower and somewhat goofy.  
  
“Rah, rah, reindeers are softer than people. My hair's got nothing on your fuuur.”  
  
“ _I'll give it to ya straight, fur's really great, if shedding is what you prefeeer!_ ”  
  
“And reindeers are nicer than people. Sven, do you think you'd agreee?”  
  
“ _People are confusing, make you feel like you're losing. You're better off sticking with meee._ ”  
  
“I will, buddy,” Kristoff said, having halted the melody briefly. But then he went on: “Reindeers aren't as cruel as people. You'd never do me wrooong.”  
  
“ _A reindeer's affections are real, they care about how you feel. C'mon Kristoff, you can stay strooong._ ”  
  
Hans leaned back against the tree and felt several light stings as bark tugged at his hair. He should leave. He was hearing too much and it wasn't easing his doubts one bit. If anything, it made him feel that much worse. He shouldn't have come out here. What was he _doing_?  
  
“Reindeers are braver than people. If you were in my shoes, buddy, you'd at least give her a clueee.”  
  
“ _She's engaged to be wed, her fiancé would have your head. Besides, wasn't their love trueee?_ ”  
  
Kristoff fell silent for a moment and in that eerie tension, Hans feared the hammering of his heart might betray him. But then the song went on in a more lighthearted jam.  
  
“Na na naaa, nana na na nanaaa, na na na, nana na na, _reindeeers_!”  
  
There was a chuffing sound nearby. Sitron was getting restless, scraping a hoof along the dirt and snorting air out through his nose. Hans realized he should just go. There was nothing for him here. Unfortunately, as soon as he took his first step, Kristoff's music stopped and there was another round of restless snorting coming from somewhere behind him. It must've been the reindeer.  
  
“What is it, Sven?” he heard Kristoff ask. “Is something out there?”  
  
Naturally, no response came, but a dull clobbering implied that the animal had gotten back to its feet. Panic became the most counterproductive of all factors; it told Hans to get out of there as fast as he could, but at the same time numbed his legs and warned him that running would give away his location for sure. What was he supposed to do now?  
  
“It's not a wolf, is it? … Uuugh, it'd better _not_ be a wolf...”  
  
A rustle indicated that Kristoff had risen as well, perhaps to investigate the source of the disturbance, and Hans's immediate plan of action was that he should just drop dead right then and there. If he did, he'd never get into trouble, because who would hold a corpse accountable for eavesdropping? About two seconds passed before he realized just how insane that plan was.  
  
In the end, it was never up to him. Sven came dashing around the tree, hind legs slipping along loose leaves as he careened around to face Hans. If indeed such a thing was possible, the reindeer's expression went from aggravated to surprised. He heard Kristoff calling Sven's name and in a last-ditch effort, he raised a finger to his lips. Never in his life did he think he would be begging a reindeer to cover for him. It almost looked like it might work, too.  
  
And then Kristoff walked around the corner, and Hans strongly reconsidered his 'dropping dead' idea. The poor fellow went from shocked to _alarmed_ so fast, he backed himself into Sven. “Puh- Prince Hans!”  
  
“... Hello,” Hans said awkwardly, forcing a meek smile.  
  
“What are you... Di-Did you _follow_ me?”  
  
“I. Well. Yes.”  
  
“But why- How- _Hoooow_ long have you been standing here?”  
  
“Um. I lost track of you at one point and it took me a bit of time to catch up, so. Ah. Certainly not as long as you've been sitting here.”  
  
“That's not...” Kristoff trailed off, shook his head with such incredible force he might've hurt his neck, then gained some sort of second wind. His face set itself in a glare. “What sort of prince goes around _following_ people into the woods?”  
  
Kristoff had straightened himself up while speaking and in doing so, drew attention to just how _tall_ he was. Something about it reminded Hans of his brothers and as a response, a primal instinct kicked in. He stood tall as well, the muscles of his face relaxing into an expression of impassive calm, because the moment he showed weakness was the moment he'd get hurt the most. He had to act as if he wasn't fazed, because that was all he knew to do when faced with bullies.  
  
“I came to ask if you will take me to see the trolls again,” he said.  
  
Kristoff's brow furrowed even more and one of his eyes twitched, almost like a flinch. “Ooh no! _Nope_ , absolutely not! I'm done playing guide!”  
  
“I need to speak with them again. Anna may have made peace with the notion that everything is fixed now, but I have not. If someone deemed it necessary to place a curse on me, I need to know who. And why.”  
  
That claim was truthful, yes, but it wasn't the _whole_ truth. Another reason Hans wanted to see the trolls was because they were meant to be 'love experts'. If that was the case, they would know whether his relationship with Anna was true love. More than anything, Hans wanted to believe that it was, but he couldn't be certain anymore. Between the loveless marriages within his family and the glorified fairytales found in the library, he had no idea just what love was even supposed to be.  
  
The curse was a convenient and completely justified excuse to convince Kristoff to show him to the Valley of the Living Rock, or so he'd believed. Trouble was, it _didn't_ convince.  
  
“No, you _don't_ need to know,” Kristoff insisted. “Trust me when I say that it won't be a problem anymore. So you should just go back to the castle, where you belong.”  
  
“Where I _belong_? Are you saying I have no business being out here?”  
  
“That's _exactly_ what I'm saying! If there's anything I've learned, it's that royalty have no clue what they're doing! You have terrible judgment and you don't know what's out there!” Kristoff yelled, waving a hand at the forest behind him.  
  
“Wolves, bears, bandits...” Hans summarized briefly. “I've been hunting numerous times and I've been trained to use a sword. Do _you_ know how to use a weapon? I certainly don't see one in your belongings.”  
  
“I don't _need_ a weapon because I try to _avoid confrontation_ , like anyone with common sense would do! Eesh, you really _are_ just like Anna in the worst ways.”  
  
“Confrontation can't always be avoided, how's that for common sense? Now take me to see the trolls. That's an order.”  
  
“An _order_?! I don't take orders from you, _Your Highness_! If you want someone to boss around, go find one of your servants. I'm staying right here.” Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest and by his side, the expression on Sven's face was as defiant as a reindeer's features could convey, echoing the same sentiments as his human buddy.  
  
Hans shook his head and took a few steps forward, passing Kristoff before halting in his tracks for a moment. “Fine. Then I'll go and find them on my own. The valley can't be too hidden if someone like you keeps finding his way back there,” he said. With that, he began to walk back to Sitron. He couldn't waste any more time here.  
  
Kristoff was determined to get the last word in though, striding after him. “Are you serious? Do you even know what you're saying? I was the guy who helped Anna up the mountain through a _blizzard_ , remember? And where were _you_ when all that went down?”  
  
“I was looking after every single citizen in Arendelle, because that's what Anna asked me to do,” Hans said coldly, not bothering to pause his stride in the least. “You see, when someone asks me a perfectly sensible favor, I _do_ it. Besides, I trusted her and I _believed_ in her, as any loved one should.”  
  
“Loving someone doesn't mean blindly accepting their words! You're _supposed_ to second-guess them for their own safety!”  
  
As soon as Hans reached Sitron, he untied his reins and hopped up onto the saddle. Now, finally, he was the one glaring down at Kristoff as opposed to the other way around. “Well, we'll see about that, won't we? And one more thing. Reindeers is not a word.”  
  
“Whah-”  
  
“Reindeer is already plural.”  
  
Kristoff's face turned bright red, but that didn't stop him from snapping a retort. “You think I'm just some rural bumpkin?! I know reindeer's a plural! It just doesn't _sound_ as good!”  
  
If that was to be Kristoff's last word in the conversation, Hans felt he rather came out a winner, so he turned Sitron round and began to make his way further up the mountain. There was one last noise of frustration behind him. When he looked over his shoulder about ten seconds later, he saw that Kristoff had already stomped back to the campsite. ...Well, good.  
  
Surely, the valley couldn't be that much farther. Even with the confusion of that night, Hans distinctly remembered the shapes of the nearby mountains, as well as the steam vents they'd passed. If he could just find something resembling that area again, narrowing down the actual valley would be a piece of cake.  
  
The sun had already set and, now humbled by darkness, Hans stopped to light the lantern he'd brought. Onward he trekked, his frustration with Kristoff ebbing away with every step Sitron took. He'd been a bit too vicious towards the man, he realized. The reindeers thing in particular had been uncalled for. He'd have to apologize later, if Kristoff would still be willing to hear him.  
  
Trees grew fewer in number, leading Hans to believe he was about to reach the more rocky parts of the mountain. That was promising. He was definitely on the right path.  
  
There was a sudden rumble from up ahead and Sitron, startled, halted in his tracks. A rock slide? Hans reflexively raised his lantern, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen. Before him lay an assortment of undergrowth, with only the occasional tree. Whatever wasn't illuminated by the glow of his lantern was instead bathed in starlight, leaving very little room for doubt.  
  
He was about to spur Sitron forward again when there was another rumble. And another. The ground shook. Sitron backed away several steps, and while Hans's first thought was to calm him so they could turn the other way, it was too late. A loud crack reverberated through the air and Sitron immediately reared onto his hind legs. It all happened so fast that Hans couldn't even think to grab hold of something more substantial with his one free hand. He fell backwards and hit the ground, his shoulders taking most of the blow. A coinciding smash nearby indicated that the lantern had broken.  
  
Dazed, he tried to sit up. Was his body shaking from fear, or was the ground still trembling? What was going on? Was that a light up ahead? Those were about all the questions he could think to ask before the ground split open beneath him.  
  
\---------  
  
“Reindeers is not a word,” Kristoff grumbled to himself for what might've been the third time already. Sven snorted at him. “Who does he think he is? Like I don't know I'm s'pposed to say “reindeer”... Eesh.”  
  
“ _Take it easy, Kristoff. Don't let him get to you_ ,” Sven 'said'. Always the voice of reason, that one.  
  
It'd been over fifteen minutes now and Kristoff still couldn't let it go, but if he were honest, it wasn't the reindeer thing that was bugging him. It was the bit about believing in Anna. From the moment he'd known her, all Kristoff had ever done was second-guess her decisions and make fun of her supposed skills. It was no wonder she'd rather be with someone like Hans, who supported her and did as he was asked. Why spend any time with a rude, cynical nobody like Kristoff when there was a handsome prince who could see the best in her, right?  
  
It'd absolutely be him and Sven from now on. That was fine. Everything was fine. They had a new sled and everything.  
  
Except, Hans was going to see the trolls. That wasn't fine at all. If through some miracle he actually succeeded in finding the valley, would the trolls admit to what they'd done? No, they wouldn't be that stupid, would they?  
  
He took a forceful bite from a carrot and as soon as the piece snapped off, there was a hubbub of noise further up the mountain. For a blind second of panic, Kristoff thought he'd caused a rock slide just by eating too noisily. Jumping to his feet, he looked upward for the source of the noise, but couldn't see anything. The mountain looked just fine. Was it happening on the other side? No, it sounded too close for that.  
  
Five seconds passed, then everything went quiet again.  
  
Frowning and uneasy, he looked towards Sven. His buddy was confused at best, taking a cautious step backwards before shrugging it off and moving his attention back to the carrots. If Sven thought it was fine, it probably wasn't anything to worry about.  
  
How wrong he was.  
  
Two or three more minutes had passed when a horse came sprinting into the campsite. _Hans's_ horse. He came to a skidding, sideways stop, nearly slamming into Sven as he did so. Something had spooked him; his eyes were wide and he was drawing deep heaves through his nose. If the horse was here, where was Hans?  
  
“Whoah,” Kristoff said, getting to his feet. “Easy, boy. Easy.”  
  
But the horse wouldn't take it easy. He stomped at the ground and threw his head back, nickering and neighing and making all those other noises that only a horse could make. This was why Kristoff liked reindeer better.  
  
What was his name again...? Sidon? Sitar? C'mon, he knew this! Closing his eyes, he tried to visualize that moment when Anna asked Hans a whole bunch of questions. He could remember the sound of Sven's hooves against the mountain path, he could see Hans's wry, somewhat flustered smile. _Best friend's name_...!  
  
“ _Sitron_ ,” Kristoff finally said, and the effect was instantaneous.  
  
Erratic movements halted, ears perked up straight and eyes focused on Kristoff as opposed to darting all over the place. That was better. Taking one slow step after another, he walked up to the horse and held out a hand. Nothing happened. He took hold of the reins and petted the front of Sitron's head. Sven shot him an indignant look.  
  
“It's okay, Sitron. Where's your owner? Where's Prince Hans?” he asked, but he could already guess the answer and it filled him with cold dread.  
  
Why had he let Hans go off by himself? He should've just _stopped_ him or gone with him, just like he'd gone with Anna. He should've known this could happen. ...No, he _had_ known it could happen. He just hadn't cared. His selfishness might've just cost Anna her fiancé, and really, Hans didn't deserve to get hurt. He wasn't a bad guy.  
  
As if confirming the worst case scenario, Sitron began to squirm uneasily again, looking up towards the mountains. Time was of the essence now. Kristoff released the horse and hurriedly began to throw all his things into the back of the sled.  
  
\---------  
  
There was a ravine. Kristoff couldn't for the life of him understand why that was. He'd moved past this area quite a bit in his lifetime and never, not once, had the ground been anything but a gentle slope. So why, then, was he staring down at a ravine now? It was as if the ground had just cracked open, like a loaf of bread might burst in the oven.  
  
Did it have to do with the steam vents up ahead, maybe? It seemed unlikely, as there wasn't any steam wafting up from the ravine. The sides looked jagged and rocky, giving the impression they'd been that way for centuries already. It wasn't particularly wide or _long_ , though. At most, it spanned the length of two houses, hardly as impressive as your average cliff, and if Kristoff tried, he could simply jump over it. There was no telling just how deep it was, as light didn't reach as far as the bottom.  
  
Nickering drew him out of his amazement. He turned to see that Sitron, who'd led the way here, was pushing his nose against something on the ground. A broken lantern. It was lying awful close to the edge of the ravine.  
  
“ _Hans_!” Kristoff called out. There was no response.  
  
He snatched a torch from the back of the sled, lit it with the aid of his own lantern, then stepped up to the ravine again. A bit of squinting later, he thought he could see it; the shine of white, leather boots. If his eyes were to be believed, they weren't _too_ far down. It was hard to say whether that marked the bottom of the ravine or just some ledge Hans might've landed on, though. Neither was appealing, he knew that much.  
  
“Prince Hans?” he tried again. “Are you alright?”  
  
In the chilling silence that followed, he knew there was only one thing left to do. He took a long rope from his supplies and tied one end to the back of the sled, then tossed the other end into the ravine. “Alright Sven, when I give the word, start pulling. Slowly,” he said, knowing his buddy would understand. The grunt and nod of the head were just bonus confirmations. Quite possibly grasping the situation too, Sitron stood by near the back of the sled, eyes locked with Kristoff's.  
  
“Don't worry, buddy. I'll get him out for you,” he told Sitron. He wasn't sure he could make himself as clear to a horse as he could to reindeer, but it was worth a shot.  
  
One gloved hand grasping rope while the other held the torch, he carefully descended down into the ravine. There was a bizarre, familiar feeling in here and a suspicion dawned on him. One he'd have to put aside for now, because as soon as he touched down beside Hans, he knew there was trouble.  
  
The abnormal sideways angle of the prince's body and sprawling of his limbs implied that it hadn't been an immediate freefall. Instead, he looked more like he'd _rolled_ down the side of the ravine and hit a rock or two along the way. Harsh as it might've sounded, that rolling was probably what'd saved him. He was still breathing, after all, and if there were any broken bones, they weren't visible. Kristoff spotted a few scrapes and cuts on his face, but as that was the only bit of skin exposed, the rest of him was probably bruised at most.  
  
“Just this time, I won't say “I told you so”,” Kristoff whispered under his breath. Not that it would've mattered either way, as Hans was out cold. _Again_. That'd better not become a habit.  
  
Getting a limp ragdoll the size of a grown human back _out_ a ravine proved difficult, and Kristoff thanked his lucky stars that nobody, not even Hans himself, could bear witness to the escapades. In the end, he'd had to leave the torch behind in the ravine and hold Hans up against his chest. His left arm served as a seat for the prince's buttocks and most of his upper body was slung over Kristoff's shoulder for extra support. _Awkward_. Kristoff also hit his head on the jagged sides of the ravine more than once when Sven tugged them up to solid ground, but he made sure that none of those blows could strike Hans.  
  
The things he did for... Well, for common decency, really. And for people.  
  
As soon as Hans was dropped in the back of the sled, Sitron was by his side, sniffing at his hand and looking solemn. He really was a good horse, wasn't he? But that wasn't important now.  
  
Kristoff stepped away from the sled, towards the undergrowth. His eyes scanned the perimeter. There was a reddish twinkle nearby. A yellow one was just barely hidden further away. Already on edge before, those twinkles served to justify his anger.  
  
“Get out here _right now_ ,” he growled.  
  
Silence.  
  
“I mean it. I know you're there. Come over here,” he tried again, this time pointing to the ground before his feet as if he were telling a dog to heel.  
  
Two more seconds of silence, then there was an assortment of rumbles. Five trolls came rolling up to him from the bushes and when they straightened up, he could identify them all. Bulda, Cliff, Flint, Halvard and Crag.  
  
“ _Kriiistooof_! Look everyone, it's Kristoff!”  
  
“What a surprise! I did not see him! Did _you_ see him?”  
  
“Nope!”  
  
“What brings you here?”  
  
Kristoff pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he was about to get very upset with his family, as well as very disappointed and a number of other bad feelings. “I could ask you all the same thing,” he said. “You don't usually leave the valley.”  
  
“We were out for a stroll! Or, well, a _roll_ ,” said Cliff.  
  
“Right! And we're not _too_ far from the valley! It's only a few minutes' roll up the mountain slope.”  
  
“Do you wanna come with us and see the others? They'll be _delighted_!”  
  
“Did you have anything to do with that?” Kristoff pointed at the ravine.  
  
All five trolls blinked in unison and he could swear that it made a _sound_. Their expressions were the picture of innocent; maybe a bit _too_ innocent. Worst of all was that they didn't answer his question. Halvard looked as if he _might_ , only to close his mouth and peer up at the sky.  
  
So Kristoff crouched down and tried again, his voice a low grumble. “Did you try to kill Prince Hans?”  
  
“ _Kristoff_!” Bulda covered her mouth with both hands. “How could you accuse us of doing such a horrible thing?!”  
  
““ _No_ ”!” he bellowed at them. “The answer you're supposed to give when I accuse you of doing something horrible is “ _no_ ”! That's all you have to say!”  
  
The trolls squirmed uncomfortably, then all began to shout different things. Their excuses ranged from “he was coming up to the valley unannounced” to “he has a _sword_ ” to “I don't trust that horse of his”. And that was it, then. Like a fly being smacked off of Sven, his opinion of his family had been struck down with one fell blow.  
  
“How _could_ you? I thought you were meant to protect people.”  
  
“Protect people?” Crag repeated and for a second he looked puzzled. Then he laughed, along with the four others. “Of course not! You think just because we advise the royal family when they come to us, we're sworn to watch over every single human?”  
  
“Ha ha ha! What a good joke, Kristoff! Imagine being responsible for something like that!” Halvard chimed in.  
  
“Humans are deceitful, vicious and selfish. Every one of them's bad.” Bulda paused, then smiled up at Kristoff. “Except you.”  
  
Instantly, Kristoff remembered the day he was taken in by the trolls. He'd been lost in the forest with Sven, left behind by his elders, and ended up in the valley after following a pair of horses. Bulda had decided to watch over them without question and introduced him to the rest of the family. From that point on, he'd known only the forest for the longest time. The trolls had told him, over and over, that he didn't need to rejoin humanity. That he'd been left behind by his people on purpose and a beautiful boy like him was better off staying near the valley where he was safe. The trouble was, Kristoff had lived with people for eight years already and because of that, he'd had dreams. His own ice business, that was what he'd wanted and that was what he'd left the valley for. The trolls hadn't stopped him back then. They'd raised him to hold a strong distrust for other people, though.  
  
He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, it was as if he was seeing his family for what they really were; immovable like boulders and _unfeeling_ like stone, with access to magic far more dangerous than anything a being so detached from humanity should wield. The glow of their necklaces illuminated every etch in their features, from their unnaturally wide mouths to their small, round eyes.  
  
“All this time... I thought you were the good guys. But you're not, are you?” he asked.  
  
“What are you _saying_ , Kristoff? Just because we tried to get rid of Hans for you?”  
  
“You were _miserable_! We could sense it! Doesn't a good guy help a family member in need?”  
  
“You're too sweet a boy to see what needs to be done. But you'll understand. Without Hans in the way, Anna will-”  
  
“ _No_! Don't act like you did this for _me_!” Kristoff rose to his feet again, glaring down at every single troll in turn. He could feel his anger mounting, the hysterical volume of his voice raising along with it. “If you really cared about how I feel, you wouldn't just _assume_ what's best for me! You would've _listened_ to me! That curse was already bad enough and I- I can't believe I _covered_ for you! But I really thought you understood... I thought you'd never do something so awful again, but it's even _worse_ this time!”  
  
“Because he survived?” Cliff asked.  
  
“ _Because_ \- I can't- _You_ -” Kristoff was so outraged, complete sentences wouldn't come to him anymore. What was he trying to say? What even was _left_ to say? He shook his head and held out both hands in an attempt to steady himself. “That's it. If you can't even grasp that what you did is wrong, we can't be family anymore.”  
  
“Kristoff, we just want you to be-”  
  
“ _Do I look happy to you_? No, I don't think so. See this face? That's _disappointment_. I'm disappointed in all of you. Don't do me any more favors, because I'm not a part of your family. I'm _human_ , whether you like it or not. People haven't lied to me as much as you have, either. I'm taking Hans back to Arendelle and if any one of you ever tries to hurt him- o-or use magic on him ever again, it'll mean _war_. Do you understand?”  
  
The trolls went from looking sad to looking _offended_. Bulda in particular stood as straight as she possibly could, sticking her nose up into the air. No one said a word. Finally, they all turned round and rolled back into the shadows. The ensuing rumble faded out so fast, Kristoff figured they must've employed the troll equivalent of sprinting.  
  
He would've said “good riddance”, except it hurt too much. No matter how angry he was with them, they'd been his family for thirteen years.  
  
As he stomped back to the sled, he thought he saw Hans flinch in the light of the lantern. Was he secretly awake, only feigning slumber to spare Kristoff's feelings? If so, he was being either very thoughtful or very stupid. It didn't matter if he'd overheard. Kristoff was going to have to come clean about the trolls' actions now.  
  
Reindeer were better than people, but people were better than trolls.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	6. Good Intentions

\---------  
  
_“So, uh... About my friends. Well, I say friends; they're more like family. Anyway, when I was a kid, it was just me and Sven until they, you know, kind of took us in.”  
  
“They did?”  
  
“I don't want to scare you, they can be a little bit inappropriate. And loud, very loud. They're also stubborn at times, and a little overbearing, and heavy. Really, really heavy. Which you'll... But you know, you'll get it. They're fine. They mean well.”_  
  
\---------  
  
Hans was gone and Anna was beside herself. Worst of all was the notion that if it'd been only an hour or so, she probably wouldn't even have noticed. If it'd been only an hour or so, she would've been so wrapped up in other things she wouldn't have known that her own fiancé had left the city without her. But Hans had been gone since before sunset last night and it was now four in the morning.  
  
What if he was gone forever? What if he'd gotten fed up with her because he'd gotten to know her better? Maybe he didn't like the way she ate her food, or maybe he thought she was too talkative. But he couldn't go back to the Southern Isles on horseback, could he? And he'd told the staff he'd be back in a few hours. It'd been _more_ than a few hours. Where was he?  
  
She faced the morning chill sitting on the steps of the castle, her eyes on the gates across the courtyard and her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. She hadn't slept. Gerda would bring her hot drinks and snacks that she wasn't in the mood for, so she'd downed maybe half a cup of hot chocolate over the past three hours.  
  
Elsa's appearance startled her out of her thoughts. Had Gerda or someone else from the staff woken her up? Oh no... Now Anna was in trouble for sure. She braced herself for scolding, only to be surprised when silence followed. Elsa sat down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The gesture caught her off guard. Even after the blizzard incident, Elsa had rarely touched her.  
  
“Anna... You should be in bed,” she said.  
  
“I can't sleep.”  
  
“Even then. _Bed_. Sitting out here for hours on end won't do anyone any good, especially not _you_.”  
  
Anna sighed, tearing her eyes away from the gates. “Do you think... I scared Hans away?”  
  
“Of course not,” Elsa replied without even an inkling of hesitation. “He probably just wanted to get out of the castle for a bit. You remember what it's like to be cooped up in here for days on end.”  
  
“Make that _years_ on end,” Anna said with a wry smile. “And if that's what it was, we could've gone together! I would've saddled up Kjekk and we could've gone for a- a romantic moonlit ride, and we would've been _back_ by now. But he's... he's _not_ back.”  
  
“Anna...”  
  
“I just... I thought everything would get better now, but Hans left without saying a word and Kristoff is gone too. It feels like I'm all alone again, just like before...”  
  
Elsa bit her bottom lip for a moment, looking affronted. Then she shook her head. “Alright, _first_ of all, you're not alone. You have _me_ now, remember? And Olaf, and all those other new friends you'll make now that the gates are open. It won't ever be like it was before.”  
  
Anna chuckled quietly. “I guess so... Sorry, that was stupid of me to say.”  
  
“And _second_ , Hans would never leave you behind like that. I admit that I still have my doubts about your engagement, but at the very least I can say he's a good man who cares very deeply for you. All he wants is to earn his place by your side, so you can have your...” Elsa trailed off, waving an idle hand. “Your _happily-ever-after_.”  
  
“Aaawww,” Anna cooed, both at the sentiments and at the person who was uttering them. “You _do_ have a soft side! You _bonded_ with him!”  
  
“O-Of course I did. If he's that important to you, I should at least give him a chance,” Elsa said, taking her hand off Anna's shoulder.  
  
“Thanks, Elsa.”  
  
“Come on, let's get you inside. Hans will be back soon enough and when he is, you can tell him off for disappearing without you.”  
  
Anna laughed and allowed her sister to pull her to her feet. They'd just turned back to the castle door when they heard raised voices behind them. A moment later, the gates swung open. Expecting to see Hans on Sitron, Anna was disappointed when at first glance she could only see Sven, Kristoff and the sled she'd given them. Once the required second had passed and the sight had truly sunk in, she smiled and ran down the steps to greet them.  
  
“Kristoff! Sven! I didn't expect you back so-” Anna stopped talking quite suddenly when her eyes fell on Sitron, whose reins had been tied to the back of the sled. “- _Soooo_... Um... Wait. What...?”  
  
Much as she wanted reassurance, Kristoff didn't grant her more than a quick, forced smile. Then he rose to his feet, beckoning the castle staff over. “C'mon already, I need some extra hands over here! You, _you_ , get him inside and find a doctor! And _you_ \- Rolf, right? Take the horse away!”  
  
“A doctor? What are you...?”  
  
It felt as if Elsa had frozen Anna's body with magic all over again. Not her heart this time, but her stomach, maybe. Stunned, she took a few steps closer to the sled, but the servants beat her to it. They reached into the back and, with some difficulty, lifted someone out of it, confirming her worst fears.  
  
“ _Hans_!” she cried out.  
  
She sprinted the rest of the way and fully intended to throw her arms around him, despite the way the two servants were flanking him, shouldering him for support. Ultimately, it was Kristoff who held her back, his fingers curling around her wrist none-too-gently.  
  
“Don't touch him. He's bruised all over and he might've broken something,” he said.  
  
Not appreciating that tone of voice in the least, Anna yanked her arm out of Kristoff's hold. “What are you- What _happened_?”  
  
She stared him down- or, well, _up_ , but Kristoff said nothing. He couldn't even meet her eyes. Already, the most fantastical, outrageous scenarios were flashing through her mind. What brought her back to reality was Hans's voice, calling her name. She ran over to him, keeping Kristoff's words in mind. He really _was_ all banged up and looking right at her with eyes that reflected... shame, maybe?  
  
“I'm sorry,” he said.  
  
“You goof! What are you _apologizing_ for?”  
  
“For making you worry.”  
  
In the terror of the moment, Anna had almost forgotten just what she'd been fretting over only a minute ago. To think, she'd actually assumed Hans might've left her... Her worry should've been focused on something entirely different. Did that make her a terrible person? She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth and smiled.  
  
“Okay, well, we're definitely going to talk about how you _left_ without telling me,” she said. “But not right now. Right now, you're coming in to get rest. We'll send Birger up to your room, he'll fix you right up. I can't even begin to count all the bruises he's treated for me.”  
  
The staff continued to guide Hans inside and she would've been more than happy to follow, but Kristoff was once again rushing up to her. What was with that expression on his face? It held the sort of timid apprehension that came rare to a man like him.  
  
“Wait, wait,” he was urging. “We need to talk. In private.”  
  
“We do? Uh, well, we can go to the sitting room next to Hans's bedroom. Most of that wing isn't being used anyway. Come on.”  
  
Anna made to grab Kristoff's hand and tug him inside, because the sooner they were in, the closer they could stick to Hans and help out if the stairway was too much of a challenge. Trouble was, he was dragging his feet in a literal sense. “Aaactually,” he began awkwardly. “Queen Elsa will need to hear this as well.”  
  
She stopped, frowned and looked towards her sister. Elsa, in turn, gave off an impression of bewilderment that could put her own to shame.  
  
\---------  
  
A ringing silence followed Kristoff's words. Queen Elsa was sitting quite still, her hands folded in her lap and her lips pressed into a thin line. As for Anna, her jaw had dropped halfway into the tale and she had yet to say a single word. This was bad. Kristoff wondered which of the two would be the first to speak and what she would say.  
  
He cleared his throat awkwardly and began to focus on the carpet. That was some nice carpet. All red and fluffy, with orange patterns... Castles sure had all the luxuries.  
  
“Sooo...” Anna began, waving a hand. “So the trolls- _your_ trolls- want Hans dead?”  
  
“No- Well, not anymore. I hope.”  
  
“And they messed with his memories before to make him act all... evil and slimy? _Which_ , by the way, almost got me _killed_?”  
  
“... I never said they were smart.”  
  
“But but- Can they even _do_ that? Elsa's ice powers are one thing, but just going into someone's head and changing their memories...? Doesn't that sound kind of impossible?” Anna frowned and glanced towards her sister, who promptly looked away with the most conflicted air about her. That was bad news. “... _What_?” Anna asked.  
  
“Ah. Well...” Elsa stammered, and Kristoff could tell from the expression on her face that nobody would appreciate what she was about to say. “You wouldn't remember this, but you actually met the trolls once before, Anna. When you were five years old.”  
  
“I _did_?”  
  
“Mother and father took us to see them because- … My powers, you see. We were playing in the ballroom and my magic hit you. In the head. You would've frozen to death if it weren't removed, so the elder troll didn't just take out the magic. He took all the _memories_ of it, too. Just to be safe. All those times you remember us playing in the snow, that was _my_ snow. Inside the castle.”  
  
Anna had raised both hands to her mouth while Elsa was speaking and now, she was caught in a state of shock. “The sledding incident... My white lock of hair... That dream I had about being kissed by a troll...!”  
  
“I'm sorry, Anna. I should have told you, but I just didn't know _how_.”  
  
Something clicked inside Kristoff's head. His memories of thirteen years ago were hazy, but in his mind he could picture the two horses he'd followed to the Valley of Living Rock. What he _couldn't_ picture, even though it had always stood out in his mind as fact, was that the trolls had helped a little girl with their magic. Or, at least, that was what he'd always believed. The fury washing over Anna's face was as far from grateful as one could get.  
  
“I used to _know_ about your powers, and the trolls made me forget?! Those were _my_ memories that they changed! _Mine_! How could you be so calm about this?!”  
  
Elsa cringed and the room began to feel a lot colder. “... Mother and father trusted their judgment.”  
  
“ _Yeah_. And then they had you lock yourself away, and told you not to _feel_. So maybe that trust was _horribly_ misplaced,” Anna grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “We were _miserable_ for so many years, Elsa! I can't believe those weird trolls were behind it all- and now they have it out for _Hans_.”  
  
“Like I said, I warned them not to mess with him again,” Kristoff said.  
  
“But you warned them after they put a curse on him, which you _didn't tell us about_ , and they didn't listen then either. What makes you think they'll listen now?”  
  
“Well, I... I think I was pretty clear this time. You know. About how wrong it is.”  
  
“ _Were_ you? Are you sure they _got_ it? Because they went from messing with his head to having him fall to his death like it was _nothing_! Were you even _trying_ the first time?”  
  
Kristoff's gaze went from Anna's narrowed eyes to the index finger she was jabbing his way. Her hand was wound so tight that her knuckles had turned white. “... You're mad at me.”  
  
“ _Yes_ , I'm _mad_!” Anna shouted at him. “Kristoff, you should've _said_ something! You knew all this time who was responsible for the curse and you just kept it to yourself! Why? To _cover_ for them? Because you thought they didn't deserve to be punished? Because changing a person's memories is just a perfectly normal thing for them to _do_? To _anyone_?”  
  
“No! It's not like that!”  
  
“I thought we were friends! But you chose _them_ over _us_!”  
  
“It's not about choosing sides!” Kristoff snapped, rising to his feet. It was _maddening_ that Anna would see it that way. Didn't she get just how delicate the situation was?  
  
“When one side is trying to manipulate and kill the other, it _should_ be! So are you with us?!” she demanded, hopping up from her chair too.  
  
Kristoff was so overwhelmed with surging emotions, he couldn't answer right away. What was he even _supposed_ to say to something so ridiculous? Queen Elsa grabbed her sister by the arm and looked like she was about to offer some words to keep the peace, but she was never given the chance to open her mouth. The door to the sitting room opened quite abruptly and everyone turned to see Prince Hans standing there. His fancy jacket had been removed, leaving only a loose-fitting dress shirt to cover his chest. A few bruises were visible beneath that layer. His hair tousled and one arm resting against the doorway for support, that was already quite the sight to behold. What was even more impressive were the two panic-stricken servants swooping in behind him.  
  
“Stop it,” Hans said with more strength and air of command than anyone in his situation should possess.  
  
“I'm sorry, Your Majesty,” one of the servants behind Hans was prattling. “We tried to stop him, we really did, but he just won't listen.”  
  
“Come now, back to bed. The queen and the princess are in a meeting.” The second servant made a brave attempt to steer Hans backwards, out of the doorway, only to be shaken off.  
  
Hans stumbled his way into the room and Elsa, evidently too tired to protest this turn of events, dismissed the servants with a wave of the hand. They did as they were told, but they clearly weren't happy about it. As for Anna, she rushed over to Hans and before anyone could tell her to stop, she slung her arms around him. He flinched with pain, but didn't fight her off. Not physically, anyway.  
  
“Oof. Yes. There's that bruised rib...” he wheezed.  
  
“ _I'm sorry_!” Anna backed away so fast she almost tripped over herself. Once she came to a full stop, she folded her hands together, wringing them antsily. “How ah... How much did you hear?”  
  
Considering Hans had been right in the next room, Kristoff supposed the question was moot. He would've heard every shred of raised voice. It was no wonder, then, that he came barging in here as fast as he could, servants or no servants. Kristoff dropped himself in his chair again, dreading what was to come. As it turned out, that was unwarranted.  
  
“Please don't treat him as if he's a criminal, or even a remotely bad person,” Hans said, walking over to Kristoff's chair to stand by his side. “He saved me. If it weren't for him, that fall probably would've led to the death of me.”  
  
Kristoff blinked. It was almost surreal for Hans to be defending him; he was about the last person around here Kristoff would ever expect to do so. Even so, it was almost _insulting_ that Anna looked surprised by it. “But Hans... If he'd just spoken up about the trolls sooner, you wouldn't have fallen in the first place,” she said.  
  
“Can you fault someone for wanting to see the best in their somewhat unconventional family? I fully pardon any decisions Kristoff's made in the past regarding the matter, and I ask you to do the same.”  
  
That was probably the biggest slice of humble pie Anna ever had to face. She hung her head, but that didn't hide the light blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “I... I'm sorry, Kristoff,” she said with such a delicate tone, it was enough to have _him_ feel bad.  
  
“ _No_ , no. Don't worry about it,” he replied hastily. “I get why you're mad, so... Yeah. Sorry.”  
  
An awkward silence followed. Kristoff couldn't bring himself to look Anna's way any longer and he _definitely_ didn't want to chance a glance up at Hans, so instead, his attention went to the carpet again. Had someone spilled coffee or hot chocolate near the table, once? It sure seemed like it.  
  
“Alright,” Elsa said after a moment. “So now that _that's_ out of the way, I suppose we should decide how to deal with the trolls from here on out.”  
  
“I say we gather up an army and-” Anna began, only to be interrupted.  
  
“No. I don't want to pick a fight with them unless we have to.”  
  
“But Elsa...”  
  
“The trolls are more powerful than any of us know. They may be hiding far more dangerous magic and that talk of 'long distance enchantment' in particular bothers me. We can't risk them doing anything to the people of Arendelle. Besides, all these years, the trolls have been advisors to the royal family. True, their advice hasn't been...” Elsa hesitated for a moment, then plunged on. “As _useful_ as one might hope, but as far as I know, they've always welcomed our ancestors with open arms.”  
  
Kristoff wondered about that. He'd heard quite a few troll tales while he was being raised and yes, some involved them taking in orphans like himself or aiding the royal family. Still, there were the occasional darker tales. Flemmingrad in particular came to mind, but then... It was the humans who'd picked a fight with _him_ , not the other way around, right?  
  
“So you're saying we do nothing?” Anna frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
“I believe it's entirely possible to keep a truce with them,” Elsa insisted. “We will mind our own business so long as they do the same. We'll put up warning signs near the valley to convince people to stay away from there, and we'll keep a close eye on each other for the coming weeks. … I want to be certain that Prince Hans agrees with this, though.”  
  
“ _Me_?” Hans asked.  
  
“ _Yes_ , you,” Elsa said, obviously amused. “You're the one who was attacked, and if you're to be a part of our family in the future, I would think you get a say in this.”  
  
From the corner of his eye, Kristoff could see Hans shuffling his bare feet against the carpet. “Ah. I agree, obviously. I would never want any of your people to be involved in a dispute for my sake.”  
  
Anna looked about as sour as turned milk, but said nothing. Why was she still itching for a fight? Was she really that angry with the trolls? She wasn't the one who'd been deceived by them for most of her life. She wasn't the one who was beginning to wonder just how much they'd ever cared.  
  
“Then, I suppose that settles that, but...” Elsa trailed off into a long pause and glanced up towards the ceiling. Something was still on her mind and whatever it was, it was proving difficult to put into words. “Um. Alright, I suppose I'll just say it... We should acknowledge the root of the problem here.”  
  
Anna blinked. “The root? What root?”  
  
“The fact that the trolls only did all this to Hans because they wanted you to marry _Kristoff_.”  
  
The effect of Elsa's words was instantaneous. Anna turned a shade paler and whirled round towards the wall. Hans grabbed the back of the chair Kristoff was sitting on for support. As for him, he felt his cheeks flush and covered his face with both hands. It meant he didn't have to look at anything anymore, not even the carpet. That was good.  
  
“It's easy to assume that they misread some signals, or they just thought a princess- _any_ princess would be the best wife for him,” Elsa continued, and Kristoff really wished she would stop talking. She didn't. “But we can't ignore that it might've been a political move.”  
  
“Political?” Hans asked.  
  
“Kristoff is closer to the trolls than any other human. If he were to marry into Arendelle's royal family, they would have influence here, far more than they used to as occasional advisors. If that was their aim, we should reconsider branding them an enemy.”  
  
Kristoff scoffed and when he spoke, it was muffled by his palms. “They don't care about human politics. When it comes to people in general, they think very little of them. They only did this because they wanted what's 'best' for me. But I told them I'm not a part of their family anymore, so... Problem solved, right?”  
  
Elsa made a doubtful sound. As for Anna, she was back to her usual feisty self. “The problem had _better_ be solved! Or else, we'll give them a whole new problem to deal with! If they think they can come between Hans and me, they've got another thing coming!”  
  
Hans chuckled quietly and Kristoff finally lowered his hands. With that, the matter was deemed settled for now and the injured prince of the Southern Isles was ushered back to his own room. Anna insisted on staying by his side and Elsa allowed it, exhaustion etched deep into her face. Kristoff decided he might as well go check on Sven and get some shut-eye in the stables. It wasn't like he had any other home to return to, now.  
  
As he walked through the halls of the castle, he passed by Olaf, who was yawning and stretching out his twiggy limbs. If that wasn't already enough indication the snowman had missed out on all the hubbub, his following words really hammered it in. “Heeey Kristoff! When'd _you_ get back? Wow, you look _aaawful_. _Really_ awful. Like you got into a fight, then you got into another fight and then maybe anooother fight.”  
  
“That's nothing, you should see the other guy,” Kristoff replied without thinking.  
  
\---------  
  
Hans still wasn't _quite_ sure of what had happened last night. In fact, his sense of time was so thoroughly skewered by now, he couldn't be sure it'd happened last night at all. It must've, as Anna said he'd only slept for about five hours, but it felt like so much longer ago.  
  
The ground had split open beneath him and while he distinctly remembered tumbling down- he even had the bruises to prove he hit some rocks along the way- he'd lost consciousness before he'd even hit the bottom. Or whatever ledge he'd come to a full stop on, anyway. What followed was a very hazy memory of being lifted and being _held_ by someone who smelled so much like animals, it could only have been Kristoff. Then there was more gray area and finally, he'd awoken to Kristoff's yelling. Even with his blurry vision, he'd seen a tall, familiar silhouette facing the glow of five familiar crystal necklaces. Trolls.  
  
It'd become clear within a few sentences that the trolls had it out for Hans. That they were disappointed he'd survived. But Kristoff... Despite everything, Kristoff had _defended_ him, accusing the trolls of cruelty and lies, ready to declare _war_ against his family if Hans were hurt by them again.  
  
It was the strangest thing. Anna would do the same for him, he knew that now, but to have those sentiments come from such an unexpected source; to have it come from someone who had every right to _hate_ him... It was just so baffling.  
  
But now he was fully awake again, and Anna was sitting by his bed, looking every bit as terrible as he'd felt when he was returned to Arendelle early that morning. She was happy to see him, yes, but also had more than enough things to nag at her. She sighed and puffed and tried to fluff his pillow for the third time, then finally spoke her mind.  
  
“Why did you leave without me, last night?”  
  
Hans would've thought that the 'leaving' in general might've been the problem, but it was the 'without me' aspect of it that caught him off guard. His hand took hold of the blanket's edge, the fabric rolling between his fingertips. “I'm sorry. It's... old habits, I suppose. In the Southern Isles, I was quite used to taking Sitron out for a ride by myself. I would alert the staff where I was headed, but none of them have accompanied me for years.”  
  
“Really? They let a prince go out just like that?” Anna looked stumped and while it might've been her own sequestered life that was to blame, Hans knew it would sound odd to _anyone_.  
  
“They trusted me to take care of myself,” he said with a shrug. It wasn't quite true, though. They'd _forced_ him to take care of himself.  
  
“Wow...” Anna rubbed at her cheek and while a smile might've been dawning, it never made an appearance. “But you shouldn't have gone that far into the mountains.”  
  
He would've feigned ignorance, but he knew there was no point. He had to come clean about this. “... I wanted to speak to the trolls. About the curse- which was never really a curse to begin with, I suppose, but also... Well, about us.”  
  
“About _us_?” Anna repeated.  
  
“They were meant to be experts on true love, so I... I thought I would ask them for their opinion,” he admitted, and as he did, his hand idly rubbed at his arm. The tip of his middle finger brushed past a bruise and he suppressed a wince.  
  
Anna tilted her head and chewed at the inside of her mouth. “You mean... You don't believe our love is true?”  
  
“I want it to be. I really, truly want that. But you felt so distant lately that I... Well, I wanted some sort of reassurance, I suppose. I'm sorry.”  
  
“Hans...”  
  
She fell silent for a bit, then leaned forward to pull him into a tight embrace. He released a harsh breath through his teeth when several _more_ bruises began to ache, then sighed in relief when she allowed him to sit back again. For what it was worth, she looked even more ashamed than he felt. They'd both handled this very badly, hadn't they?  
  
“I'm the one who should be sorry,” she said. “I was the one who invited you to stay here and then I just got wrapped up in other stuff. I should've been here for you more. Then you wouldn't have had any reason to doubt me. Err. _Us_. Doubt _us_. Buuut that'll change! I'll definitely spend more time with you now.”  
  
Something about those words really rubbed Hans the wrong way. “Oh, no, you don't have to force yourself to-”  
  
“ _Force_ myself?” she cut across him. Despite the fierce look in her eyes, there was a light blush on her cheeks and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, which she tended to do when she was flustered. “Hans, I _want_ to spend time with you. You're fun and sweet and _gorgeous_... And, well, I'm still _preeetty_ sure I love you. That's why I accepted your proposal back then and that's why I'm still holding onto it right now.”  
  
“Oh...” he said. Then the full force of it _really_ hit him and a warmth spread through his body. Something in his chest fluttered. He smiled so widely that it hurt his bruised face and he did nothing to stop it. “ _Oh_! I'm so glad you feel that way!”  
  
“How could I _not_ feel that way?” Anna asked, grabbing his hand with both of her own and matching his excitement so well, her emotion seemed to light up the room.  
  
“Well, I suppose I _can_ be charming when I put my mind to it,” he joked.  
  
Anna laughed and squeezed his hand, then sat back. “Oh... I guess ice skating is out of the question tonight, huh?”  
  
Hans started. With all that'd happened, he'd forgotten about the skating rink idea. He'd been looking forward to it, too! There was no such thing as ice skating in the Southern Isles, so even knowing he'd make a fool of himself, he couldn't wait to try it. Anna, who had admitted to being very clumsy on the ice, would be right by his side and they'd agreed to be lousy at it _together_.  
  
“Ahh! I'm sorry. I could still give it a try...!” Hans offered, and with that, he started sliding himself towards the edge of the mattress so he could get out of bed.  
  
“No, no. You're not leaving this room tonight unless you absolutely _have_ to,” Anna insisted, raising a single hand to push him back into the pillow. “Don't worry about the skating. We can try it whenever we want; all I have to do is bat my eyes at Elsa.”  
  
There was a knock from the hallway. Hans exchanged a quick glance with Anna before calling for the newcomer to enter. The door swung open and there stood Kristoff, a lopsided smile on his face and a cup in one hand.  
  
“Hey! Um. Hello. Still here, in case you were wondering,” he said slowly. “That steward guy was just coming up to bring you your tea, but I was on my way here anyway and he had other things to do. So uh. Here.”  
  
The tea was set down on Hans's nightstand so fast, a substantial amount of it spilled out of the cup and onto the saucer. Too much of a gentleman and too desperate to keep the peace, Hans pretended he hadn't seen it happen. Kristoff did the same.  
  
“Thank you,” Hans said. He hadn't asked for any tea, but it now that it was there, he realized that he was thirsty.  
  
“Anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt you two, so I'll just... let myself out.” Kristoff whirled around and headed for the door so fast, he almost walked straight into it.  
  
“Wait, come back!” Anna called after him. It was enough to have him pause in his tracks, at least. She shook her head before continuing. “I really am sorry... For what I said this morning, I mean.”  
  
“I already told you not to worry about it,” Kristoff replied gruffly.  
  
“I _will_ worry! It's a worrisome situation! So... So _there_ ,” Anna said with a huff, as if that'd made her point. Going by Kristoff's shrug of the shoulders, it hadn't.  
  
“Why don't you sit with us?” Hans suggested. “It's been a long day- and a long _night_. I think we can all benefit from some company.”  
  
Kristoff frowned, tilting his head. “Are you sure you want me here?”  
  
“Of course we do!” Anna replied immediately. Hans nodded to confirm the sentiment.  
  
A sigh, then Kristoff clumped over to the nearest chair and when he sat down, the wood creaked under his weight. Silence followed. Hans carefully lifted his cup and watched as some tea dripped onto the saucer. Not sure what else to do, he tried to dry the sides of the cup with the back of his hand. That was good enough, he supposed.  
  
“You really didn't know the trolls were capable of things like that?” Anna ultimately asked.  
  
“Ehhh... Well, I knew they could do it- mess around with people's memories, I mean. I just didn't think they'd do it unless it was to save someone's life,” Kristoff said. He looked quite glum as he did so, hunched forward in his chair and gaze on the floor before him. A deep breath was drawn before he continued. “And now I can't stop thinking... No, nevermind."  
  
"What? What can't you stop thinking?"  
  
"It's just..." Kristoff looked as if he was chewing air for a moment. "What if they did it to _me_?”  
  
Anna tilted her head. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Ever since I was a kid, I was always going out with the elders to watch them harvest ice, but one day Sven and me were left behind by them. We were lost in the woods and came across the trolls by accident, so they took us in, but... What if I wasn't left behind at all? What if they stole me from my parents, or other family, and they changed my memories of what happened? And what if they made that family forget that I ever existed, so they wouldn't come looking for me?”  
  
Just like that, Hans felt a whole new level of empathy for Kristoff's situation. It wasn't just that the trolls had meddled with a royal engagement for what they'd claimed to be in their 'son's' best interest, it was that they were capable of meddling with _anyone_ if they wanted to. Even now, Hans wondered whether the trolls really had put his memories back the way they were supposed to be or whether something was still _off_. It was the sort of worry that might always be there, in the back of his mind, for so long as he would live.  
  
Anna looked aghast as well, and while one of her hands moved as if it might reach for Kristoff's, she seemed to think better of herself. “Well... You don't need to think about that any more, because you have _us_ now! Me _and_ Hans. And if you ever get lost, we'll come find you for sure! That's what friends are for!”  
  
“Friends, huh?” Kristoff asked, and while it might've been easy to mistake that response as dismissive, Hans believed he could hear some heartfelt gratitude in the man's voice. Kristoff was smiling, that much was certain. It was a somewhat somber smile, but a smile nonetheless.  
  
Hans supposed that Anna and himself would've been the first human companions he'd ever had. If so, it was definitely something for him to sympathize with. “If we really are to be friends, I think it only fair that we subject _you_ to some thorough questioning,” he said. “So to begin with... Last name?”  
  
Kristoff snorted in a way that could only be described as endearing. Then he said: “Bjorgman.”  
  
“Wait, _what_?! You have a last name?!” Anna cried out.  
  
“Of course I have a last name,” Kristoff said, grinning. “The trolls didn't take me in until I was eight, you know.”  
  
“Wow...”  
  
“Best friend's name, we already know,” Hans pointed out. He took a quick sip from his tea, then decided on his next query. “Favorite food?”  
  
“Carrot cake,” said Kristoff. That was unsurprising.  
  
“Favorite drink?”  
  
“Uhhh... I don't know. Just water, I guess.”  
  
Anna looked as if she'd just been dealt a personal insult. Hans was more willing to believe it, though. Chocolate milk was delicious, but sometimes, nothing quenched thirst quite like a glass of clean, cold water.  
  
“Oooh! Favorite color?” Anna asked.  
  
Kristoff hummed quietly, looking towards the ceiling. “Red, maybe? Or orange, like the sunset.”  
  
“Oooh, that's a good one,” Anna admitted. “But I like green better, personally.”  
  
“It's blue for me,” Hans said in turn. “... Favorite time of the year?”  
  
“Summer. That's when I do most of my business,” was the reply. That too made sense.  
  
Anna smirked and leaned forward in her chair, her eyes fixed on Kristoff's. “And _foot size_?”  
  
“ _Hah_! Nice try. You said it doesn't matter, remember?” Kristoff replied, grinning just as widely in turn. Hans couldn't stop himself from laughing at that.  
  
All in all, the remainder of their conversation was quite pleasant. They proceeded to throw more questions at one another, from favorite animal to least favorite vegetable, until at last Kai came knocking on their door. The ice skating rink would be set up soon for all the citizens to enjoy and while Anna didn't plan on participating too actively, she still needed to show her face in public for a bit. With that, she was dragged from the room in a very literal sense to freshen up and choose suitable attire.  
  
Hans had assumed that Anna was the only thing keeping Kristoff here and that he would follow her, but much to his surprise, the man stayed put. When the door was closed behind her, he moved his chair closer to the bed and hunched forward to fix Hans with a piercing stare. It would have been intimidating, were it not for the way Kristoff's fingers were digging into the fabric of his own pants. Was he nervous?  
  
“So. Just between you and me, are you serious? About that friend thing?” he asked.  
  
“You think I was joking?” Hans parried. He could imagine his brothers pulling a stunt like that, but that was as far away from his own sense of humor as one could get.  
  
“You... You're _serious_ ,” Kristoff stated again. It was hard to say whether he was frustrated or _baffled_. “After everything that's happened? Even knowing that I... Well... _You know_. And my family trying to kill you on top of that. Why do you even still want me here?”  
  
Despite himself, Hans smiled weakly. “If I say it's because you saved my life, that'd make it sound like I'm just trying to repay a favor, wouldn't it? That's not it at all. It's because despite everything, you're a good person. And a good _friend_. I couldn't possibly dismiss someone like that, especially not after you got into a fight with your family to protect me.” He paused for a moment, realizing he was still avoiding one of the biggest problems. Something they'd need to set straight. He drew a deep breath before continuing. “I can't say what the future holds; for me _or_ for Anna. What's most important to me is that she's happy and I can't deny that you bring a smile to her face. So that's why... I'm willing to take a risk on that. Let's agree to make this a fair fight and if she chooses you in the end, then that's just how it was meant to be. True love will prevail, won't it?”  
  
“But that's... That's so _naive_ ,” Kristoff pointed out.  
  
“It is, isn't it?”  
  
“She _won't_ choose me, though. Your kiss saved her heart and disrupted the trolls' manipulation of your head. That already proves it's true love.”  
  
“It didn't save her, though. It just bought her more time. It wasn't enough to fix my head, either. So who knows?”  
  
“... Wait, are you _rooting_ for me?”  
  
“No, but I'm not arrogant enough to say I've already won,” Hans admitted. “As I said, true love will prevail and in the meantime, I'd rather not bicker with you. It'd be a waste of energy, as it won't change Anna's decision in the least. I'd much prefer to be friends until that day comes.”  
  
Kristoff rubbed at his eyes, exasperated. “You _reeeally_ are just as bad as Anna.”  
  
“I know. And I think you were right: she does need someone to second-guess her decisions from time to time. If that's how it is, then I'll need someone to second-guess _my_ decisions too. So what do you say? Are we friends?” Hans asked, and with that, he held out a hand.  
  
For a few seconds, Kristoff just _stared_. Then he took hold of Hans's hand and shook it with a smile. “If it means I'll get some of your blind support from time to time, that sounds like a good deal. _Friends_.”  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	7. What Brothers Do

\---------

_“Say goodbye-”_

_“Say goodbye!”_

_“To the pain of the past! We don't have to feel it anymore! Love is an open door!”_

\---------

“C'mon, Hans! Let's go!”

“Hang on, I just need to find my-”

“Last one to the marketplace is a rotten fish!”

“Oh, you are _on_!”

The sitting room door was pushed open so fast, it bounced off the hallway's wall and startled a nearby maid who'd just happened to be passing by. It was Ingrid. Eyes grew wide as saucers and heaps of dirty laundry were dropped to the floor. Hans felt quite sorry for her for about a fraction of a second. Then he saw Anna taking off through the doorway.

“Sorry!” she called as she ran past the horrified maid.

Realizing it would cost him the race if he dawdled now, Hans had no choice but to dash past the mess they'd made as well. “I do apologize,” he said to Ingrid. There was no time for her to respond, as he rounded a corner two seconds later.

It wasn't the first time they were running through the castle and Hans doubted it would be the last. No matter how many times they'd been told off, Anna would always encourage him to choose fun over discipline. He used to think twice about that sort of thing, but she made him feel safe enough to give in to temptation.

They jeered as they sped through the halls, slid down stairway banisters and almost knocked Nilsen to the ground because he was in their way. Anna was the first to reach the castle gates and sprint through them, but by now, Hans was right behind her now. He caught up just before she could reach the end of the bridge and slung both arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

“Eeeek! _Hans_!”

“How's that for sweeping you off your feet?” he asked, whirling around so that she was facing the castle instead of the marketplace.

Much as Anna struggled, she couldn't break free of Hans's hold, nor could anything beyond the tips of her toes reach the ground. “Nooo! Put me down! That's cheating!”

“There's no rules against this!” he said, and with that, he began to walk backwards. Holding Anna up was hurting his back, but it was worth it, as were the amused stares directed their way. “Besides, wouldn't you be embarrassed to have a rotten fish for a boyfriend?”

“So you'll make _me_ the rotten fish? I thought you were more gallant than that!”

He stopped walking, his heel just a few bricks away from what would've been the first step into the town square, along with its bustling market. While he set Anna down on the ground, he still didn't set her free. “How about the both of us cross the finish line at the same time? Then, neither of us will be the rotten fish,” he suggested.

“Weeeell... Alright. But only because I like you.”

Hans chuckled and gave Anna one last affectionate squeeze before releasing her. They turned to face the market and while he knew it was possible for her to pull a fast one, she stayed right by his side. He offered his arm to her with an extra charming “my lady”.

“My good sir,” Anna replied, dipping into a quick curtsy. Then she hooked her arm around his own.

The both of them took a second to peer down at the line which separated the rectangular, light grey stone of the street from the equal-sided, darker cobble of the town square. “Three, two, one...” Hans said, and with that, they both stepped forward in perfect unison. Anna let out a squeal of delight and Hans outright laughed with her, still ignoring the occasional stare from passersby.

It'd been almost three weeks since the incident involving Elsa's magic and now that he'd fully adjusted to Arendelle, life couldn't be sweeter for Hans. For the first time ever, he felt truly at home. Every morning, he'd get out of bed with incredible ease and a heartfelt smile. It wasn't just because of the location, which was already much more beautiful than the Southern Isles; it was because of the _people_. He'd gotten on a first name basis with the entire castle staff, he'd spend time with Kristoff, he'd explain the ways of the world to Olaf, he'd have stimulating conversations with Elsa whenever she had the time... As for his own role within Arendelle, he'd taken Elsa up on her offer and begun to spend time with the royal guard. They looked up to him for reasons beyond his grasp and while part of him worried it might lead to spectacular disappointment soon enough, it did ease his restlessness just to know he was contributing a small portion of his time to something as important as the kingdom's safety.

And then, of course, there was _Anna_.

Their relationship had grown stronger over the past few weeks, at the very least in the emotional sense. They'd talk for hours, they'd watch the sunset, they'd head down to the ballroom and dance... This was what courtship was _meant_ to be like, Hans was sure. They still hadn't progressed beyond holding hands or the occasional kiss on the cheek, but then, it would've been entirely improper to go much further before their engagement was once again official. Besides, they had all the time in the world now.

“If it isn't my favorite lovebirds,” the baker said as they approached his stall. Like most other civilians, he was always happy to see them out and about. What things must've been like for the people of Arendelle while the castle gates were shut, Hans couldn't even begin to fathom.

“Good morning,” they both replied.

Making the connection immediately, Hans looked towards Anna and declared “jinx”, but once again they'd been so in tune that it led to a double jinx, a triple jinx and then finally mutual surrender. Neither of them had ever been successfully jinxed before.

The baker guffawed at their antics. “Is that a new jacket, Prince Hans?” he asked.

“Oh! Yes! Do you like it?” Hans smiled and tilted himself from side to side to show off his new garments.

While he'd always assumed white to be the color best suited for him, he'd been proven wrong. His new jacket was an olive green color with ornate, dark blue patterns hand-stitched onto the darker green lapels. Not only that; he was wearing a new white shirt with a raised collar and even new pants. He also had a yellow waistcoat with more decorative stitching and silk gloves to match, but as the temperature was too high to wear such a thing and there was no obligation to do so, he'd left it behind in the castle. With less gold buttons, shoulderpads and tassels, these clothes gave off a far more casual air than what he was used to wearing. Not only that; he had several more new garments stashed away inside his wardrobe. The royal tailors had outdone themselves and Hans couldn't be more grateful. He'd only packed so many clothes from the Southern Isles.

“It's wonderful. You look just like a member of the royal family,” said the baker.

“He _is_ a member of the royal family now,” Anna insisted, once again grabbing hold of Hans's arm as if she were making a statement. “Oh, speaking of which... Elsa asked us to thank you for those krumkake you sent her the other day.”

“Oooh, is that so? Did she enjoy them?”

“They were all eaten within a minute, so I would assume so! I think our chef was real jealous, too. I mean, not that his krumkake are _bad_! Those are delicious too! But he just can't get the cream filling quite right. -Oooh, maybe you can teach him sometime!”

“And give away my family's secret recipe? I'm afraid not, Princess.”

“Oh well, I guess we'll just have to keep coming here every day for the best krumkake in Arendelle, then!”

A few more good laughs later, they left the stall with a full bag of cookies that Anna insisted they pay for, even though the baker didn't want to see their money. It was the most powerful evidence of a warm, light-hearted connection between the royal family and their denizens.

They walked from the market place to the docks, snacking on cookies and greeting more people as they passed them, then took a seat on a brick wall to overlook the fjord. There was virtually no wind today, but a whole bunch of fluffy white clouds hung overhead to block out the sun and cast a comfortable shadow. It was as perfect a day as could be.

“Look! There's a few new ships in port today!” Anna pointed towards the piers and Hans followed her gaze.

As it turned out, Anna had often watched the docks from behind the castle windows and so, she'd learned quite a bit about the trade ships that would come to Arendelle. Hans could relate; he too had spent a lot of time in the Southern Isles' port area. He still remembered the salty smells and the creaking noises of the ships, which were more overpowering there than here in Arendelle.

Some ships to be moored here belonged to the kingdom itself, others sailed in from all sorts of neighboring countries. Hans wondered vaguely how Weselton was doing after several weeks of being without Arendelle's trade agreement. The duke certainly hadn't attempted to come back here, as far as he knew. He took in all the flags he could see whenever they fluttered in the minimal breeze. There was a ship from France, a smaller fisherman's vessel from Norway and a grand-

Feeling as if his heart skipped perhaps so much as three beats, Hans was on his feet before he'd even realized that his limbs had moved. He didn't know whether he was still breathing or not. The cookie he'd been holding crumbled into a fine dust within the palm of his hand. It couldn't be. Why was...?

“Hans?” he heard Anna ask.

“... I have to go,” was all he could think to say. Then he turned and ran.

\---------

Anna had challenged Hans to a race quite often but never, not once, had she seen him sprint as fast as he had mere minutes ago. She'd tried to follow him, but he'd left her so far behind that she lost sight of him once she passed through the castle gates. Supposing he would've gone inside, she headed up the steps and entered the main hall. That was about as far as she could search, because the next moment, Kai came striding up to her to grab her by the arm.

“Princess Anna, _there_ you are. Come with me, quickly. Have you seen Prince Hans?” he demanded in such a weary tone, it became clear he was attempting to tend to several different stressful chores at the same time. Somehow, multitasking was becoming the norm for Kai.

“He was right in front of me just a minute... ago...” Anna attempted to take in the main hall, only to be led away from it by Kai's firm guidance. That was odd. Usually, Kai would only fetch her when she'd forgotten some rehearsal or another. As far as she knew, the only upcoming event that required her presence was the autumn festival, and there was hardly any rehearsing needed for that. “What's going on?” she asked.

“We have guests. Your presence is required in the audience chamber. Her Majesty is already waiting for you there.”

“Ooh, guests? They must be important if they have an audience with Elsa.”

“Quite,” said Kai, and the next moment he was ushering her through a doorway. To add insult to injury, he snatched the bag of cookies from her hand.

Elsa was indeed already waiting beside her throne; a piece of furniture which had seen very little use over the past three weeks. She'd changed into a different dress for the occasion, which was far more formal and far less... glittery. Anna wondered vaguely what had happened to Elsa's crown, for she hadn't seen it since the coronation. Though, she supposed it would be obvious to any visiting dignitary just who the queen would be, as Anna couldn't give off the regal air that her sister held.

“Aah, Anna, there you are,” Elsa said, beckoning her over. “Come here, let's fix up your hair a bit first. I thought Hans was with you...?”

Anna blinked, striding over to Elsa and tucking her hair behind her ears as she went. “Why do you need Hans? I'm not sure you even need _me_ here...”

“Didn't you hear? We're being visited by three princes of the Southern Isles.”

“The Southern...” Anna trailed off into silence, baffled. With that, her mind began to reel. “Oh! I had no idea they were coming! Did _you_ know? Well, surely not- you would've said something. Do you think they heard about the engagement? Did they bring gifts? Am I supposed to give _them_ gifts? Oh no, I'm not ready to meet them! I still haven't memorized all their names!”

“Don't worry about that now, Anna. I'm sure you'll do fine.” Elsa smiled and, after a moment of hesitation, reached out to straighten the ribbon in Anna's hair. “They're currently being shown some of the castle grounds, as we had to do _something_ to keep them busy while Kai searched for you. They should be here any moment and they _will_ want to see their brother. Do you know where he is?”

“Maybe he's in his bedroom, getting changed into something more suitable! He did run up to the castle in a hurry when he saw the ship in port.”

Elsa nodded to Kai, who promptly left the room, taking Anna's cookies with him. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. Still, there were more important things to worry about now. If this visit really did have to do with her budding relationship with Hans, things might get awkward. The engagement had been put on hold until a suitable amount of time had passed and Anna could tell everyone with absolute certainty that she wanted to spend the rest of her life by Hans's side. Maybe a royal courtship was a big deal too, though. Maybe the Southern Isles had their own customs for this sort of thing.

As Anna fretted, she did her best to smoothe the creases out of her dress and be certain her hair was as tidy as could be. Her heart was hammering in her chest, which didn't do her queasy stomach any favors. Still, when Kai returned to the audience chamber ten minutes later, he was by himself.

“Your Majesty,” he began, “I'm afraid Prince Hans is nowhere to be found and our guests cannot be asked to wait any longer. They seem rather... irate.”

Nowhere to be found? Anna wasn't sure how that could be. Not only had she seen Hans run through the castle gates, he was aware that his brothers were here, wasn't he? Or, at the very least, that _someone_ from the Southern Isles had arrived? Why would he choose that exact moment to disappear? Had something happened?

Elsa sighed, then settled down on her throne. “Very well. We'll just have to do this without Prince Hans for now, but please have the rest of the staff keep an eye out for him. I'd prefer to have him in here as soon as possible.”

“Already done, ma'am,” said Kai.

“Then, please send them in.”

Kai nodded and approached the main doors of the chamber, throwing them wide open. Then he stood by the side, his raised voice echoing off the walls. “Introducing... Prince Lars, Prince Oskar and Prince Rudi Westergaard of the Southern Isles.”

Already, Anna's mind was struggling to connect the names to stories Hans might've told her, only to come up short. He _hadn't_ told her any specific stories about his brothers- not beyond the fact that three of them had pretended he was invisible, leaving out the corresponding names. She had no idea who any of these men were.

They would enter in same order as they'd been announced, luckily, meaning that the one in front must've been Lars. The resemblance to Hans was immediately gleaned from his ginger hair and his sharp nose. He wore glasses, which made it difficult to see whether the eyes were similar too. He seemed nice enough, taking in the chamber's stained glass windows with a look that could only be described as modest awe. Anna had no doubt he was the oldest of the bunch, maybe even so much as ten years older than the prince following in his wake, who would've been Oskar. This one had red hair too, along with a face full of freckles and sideburns that put Hans's to shame. Tall and lanky, his movements were almost comical. The moment his eyes locked with Anna's, he made the most peculiar face, almost like he pitied her. She hastily moved her attention to the last brother, who would have to be Rudi. Being of average height and once again having a head of ginger hair, Rudi seemed like he was very close to Hans's age. The difference couldn't have been more than two years, but already, that seemed to be giving him too much credit.

Once she'd taken it all in, Anna realized that there was still movement by the door. Several guards in foreign attire were flooding in, taking positions near the walls. An escort quite that big was unexpected, especially because Hans himself had come to Arendelle with an amount of staff that could've been counted on one hand. They were all armed as well; each guard carrying a sheathed sword on their hip. Kai looked to be in a sour mood at the sight of it all, but didn't dare shoo them out.

The three princes came to a halt before Elsa's throne and while they did bow to pay their respects, something about it felt insincere, maybe even _condescending_. When they straightened up again, each brother assumed a rigid stance, their hands folded behind their backs.

“Welcome to Arendelle,” Elsa said. “I trust your journey was a comfortable one.”

Oskar looked as if he was about to remark out of reflex, only to remember those were words best left unsaid. Instead, Lars was the one to speak. “It was well enough, thank you.”

“I do apologize if we've kept you waiting. With all due respect, had you sent word that you were coming, we would have prepared for your arrival.” Elsa's eyes narrowed ever so lightly and Anna had to give her credit for even being _this_ polite about it.

“I'm afraid this is not a social call, Your Majesty,” Lars explained, and while his voice was awful monotonous, something in his face betrayed apprehension. “We are only here to retrieve our brother, Prince Hans.”

Anna started and looked to Elsa, whose expression had grown even colder. There was a bit of a silence, then Elsa rose to her feet to glower down at each of the princes. “On whose authority?”

“The King of the Southern Isles, of course.”

“No no, there must be some mistake!” Anna blurted out before she could stop herself. She knew that it wasn't her place to speak; she could see it on the faces of everyone in the room, but she couldn't just hold her tongue. “Have you not heard? Hans- _Prince_ Hans is, well, _engaged_. Sort of. To _me_.”

Oskar quickly raised a hand to his face and a split second later, a snort was heard from him. Rudi didn't even _try_ to hide the wide, toothy grin that dawned. Anna glared at him, but all she got in return was a suggestive waggle of the eyebrows and she had no idea what that meant. _Men_.

“We did hear talk of such an arrangement, yes,” said Lars. “However, the King of the Southern Isles did not send Prince Hans here with the intention of finding him a suitor. He was to return home as soon as the coronation ended.”

“Well-”

“ _Furthermore_ , those who _did_ return to our kingdom seemed awfully... out of order, speaking of a sudden winter. Only a week later we received a visit from the Duke of Weselton, who was spinning wild tales of being held hostage in your kingdom by a- Well, to soften the words that he employed, a vicious sorceress.”

Anna stomped a foot down and sank her teeth into her bottom lip to stop herself from speaking out of line again.

As for Elsa, she drew in a deep breath to steady herself. A chill was spreading out near the throne, though. “... The Duke must have taken the end of our trade agreement very badly if he resorts to spreading rumors about Arendelle in other countries. I would hope you did not take him too seriously.”

“We kept his words in the back our mind,” was Lars's response.

Anna's gaze once again flicked to the soldiers in the back of the audience chamber. Did this mean that the Southern Isles were prepared to wage war? Over what? Arendelle hadn't done anything wrong. _Elsa_ hadn't done anything wrong!

“If I may, this is all a big misunderstanding,” Anna said, and from across the room, she could see Kai waving his hand in an attempt to signal that this was a bad idea. She ignored him. “Arendelle is a peaceful, warm kingdom! We would never keep anyone here against their will.”

“Then, where is Prince Hans?”

Anna cringed at how fast the situation turned on her. “He's... _around_...” she mumbled awkwardly.

Luckily, Elsa was far more composed and already a step or two ahead. “Prince Hans generously offered to take on responsibilities for this kingdom so long as he is our guest. Currently, he is out in the woods, patrolling our borders with Arendelle's guard. Again, had you informed us that you were coming, he would've stayed here in the castle this morning.”

“When will he return?”

“It's hard to say. If the guard has run into any trouble, he may be delayed. However, we fully expect him to return before the day's end.”

Oskar groaned so quietly that Anna had to strain her ears to hear him. As for Rudi, he hung his head back with slack-jawed exasperation.

“We understand,” Lars said with a nod, and Anna realized he was just as grand a liar as Elsa. “Then, we will wait and in the meantime, we shall observe your fair kingdom. There is much to be seen and heard, I'm sure.”

Anna was sure that was a threat. They were going to try and find out more about the coronation incident, weren't they? Hans's staff had apparently not said too much, but who knew what the citizens of Arendelle might do if they were questioned? Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to stop the princes from leaving the castle.

They had to find Hans. Fast.

\---------

Even with magical blizzards and living snowmen, her fiancé disappearing was one of the strangest things Anna had ever witnessed. The whole castle had been turned inside-out by now, and nothing. As she wandered down the steps and back into the courtyard, she wondered if he'd somehow left the castle grounds again without anyone noticing. But hadn't the entire staff been keeping on eye out for him from the moment Anna returned to the castle that morning?

Her attention moved towards the stables and a brief sprint later, she was greeted by the smell of fresh straw, along with a cooing grunt from Sven. Kristoff had been staying in one of the biggest stables they had, big enough to house so much as four sleds comfortably. There was only one in there at the moment, though, and it was being thoroughly wiped down by Kristoff himself. Sank deeply into a crouch, he must've been aiming for the mud encrusted on the sled's bottom. Sometimes Anna wondered if there was anything in the world he loved more than that sled, and then she realized that would be _Sven_.

From the piles of hay to the neatly packed bales of straw, there didn't seem to be anyone else in here. “Heeey Kristoff,” she began nonchalantly.

He started into an upright position, hitting his head on the sled's side as he went. “ _Ow_! Oh! _Anna_!”

“You haven't seen Hans around anywhere, have you?”

“ _Hans_?” Kristoff asked so very loudly, it confirmed what she already suspected. His eyes shot around the stable for a moment. “Uuuuhhh. _No_. Haven't seen him today.”

“Really? Are you sure?” she asked, and as she did so, she began to pace along the walls, peering into every corner.

“Nope- I mean yes. Yes, I'm sure that no, I haven't seen him.”

“Is that so...”

Anna snatched up a pitchfork and twirled it around in her hands. Kristoff began to look nervous. Knowing she was getting warmer, she prodded the wooden end of the handle into a stack of hay. Nothing happened.

“Umm. I'm kind of in the middle of something, so unless there's something else...” Kristoff said.

“Maybe I should ask _Sven_ if _he_ knows where Hans is,” Anna declared, walking up to the reindeer and petting him. She lowered her voice into a sweet jabber. “Where's Hans, Sven? _Where is he_?”

Kristoff sounded very far from amused when he tried to interject. “Don't do that.”

But it was too late. Sven's eyes shot upwards, towards a small hayloft built into the corner near the ceiling. The planks were old and not entirely aligned with one another, allowing for several openings. Anna bit down on her tongue in concentration, then jabbed the pitchfork's handle upwards, through a hole between the planks and into the hay. It hit something quite solid.

“ _Yaaagh_! Alright, _alright_!” cried a familiar voice and the next second, Hans was peering down at her from over the hayloft's edge.

“What are you _doing_?” Anna demanded, because now that she knew for certain she'd been avoided, the situation had gone from bewildering to frustrating. “This is a really bad time for hide and seek, don't you think? Three of your brothers are here.”

“Oh... They came in _person_...” Hans said slowly. On closer inspection, he was looking a bit paler than usual. Not that Anna could take it in for very long, because the next moment, he was already retreating out of view.

What was going on?

“Hans! You have to come see them!” Anna insisted. “They think that we kidnapped you! They're here to-”

“Take me home?” he asked quite sharply.

She fell silent and shot a glance towards Kristoff, who shrugged. Hans was hiding from his brothers, she realized. Not only that, he was hiding from the consequences of an unplanned proposal that his family might not approve of. If that was so, she doubted he would've told Kristoff the full story. He would've simply asked to be left alone and Kristoff, being the nice guy that he was, would've respected that.

But this was no time for hiding.

“No one's taking anyone home. We're going to explain the situation together and then they'll be forced to leave without you,” she said. In her head, that made perfect sense. Why, then, was the only response she got a scoff of sorts?

The atmosphere in the room changed when Elsa made her appearance. She moved into the stable with a calm stride, her eyes on the loft. Olaf waddled in behind her, cheerfully waving at everyone in sight. Did he know what was going on? Anna doubted it.

“Prince Hans. If there is anything I've learned over the past month, it's that communication is vital,” Elsa said.

Assuming she was referring to Hans communicating with his brothers, Anna nodded in agreement. Even Kristoff had a solemn look in his face, as he was possibly thinking about the trolls again. Or about Sven. He did like to communicate with reindeer a lot.

Almost ten seconds passed before Hans peeked out from the hayloft again, flopping himself down near the edge. He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, looking extremely uncomfortable. Then, finally, he spoke. “My brothers are... _awful_.”

“Oh, come on. They can't be thaaat...” Anna trailed off when she saw Elsa shaking her head.

“They _are_ that bad, and then some. I may have... sugarcoated our relationship whenever they came up in conversation.” Hans managed some sort of lopsided smile, which didn't brighten the mood in the least.

“But don't they tease you because that's what brothers do? Don't they care about you, deep down?”

There was a bitter chuckle. “Most of my brothers kicked me whenever I was down. Literally. They made a sport of it. The others mostly resorted to insults. Father encouraged them, Mother stood by and did nothing.”

“Oh, Hans...” Anna raised both hands to her mouth. How could she not have realized? Why hadn't he _told_ her? Now with renewed fury, she punched at the air. “Well, don't you worry! We won't tolerate bullies here in Arendelle! You just stay here! We'll send them back to the Southern Isles with their tails between their legs!”

“Right! Let me at 'em! I'll show them just how much damage a snowman can do!” Olaf chimed in, cracking what would've been his knuckles if he had any.

“Anna... _Olaf_... Take it easy,” Elsa said. “Violence is not the answer. They brought a small army with them _because_ they feared the situation could escalate. Our only solution is for Prince Hans to show them he's alive and well, and with no intention of returning to their kingdom.”

“But he doesn't want to see them!” Anna retaliated immediately.

Hans jumped down from the loft, landing deftly on both feet. He absolutely looked worse for wear, some of his hair clinging to his forehead while bits of straw poked out the back. “No, it's fine. If they can't believe I would choose to stay here, I'll just have to tell them.”

“Well, you won't have to do it alone! Elsa and I will be right there to offer our support.”

Anna stepped up to Hans to take hold of his arm and while Elsa didn't move from her own spot, she nodded her head with a smile. Hans was only given about a second to process that much, because the next moment, Kristoff was standing by his _other_ side. A hand was slapped against Hans's shoulder with such gusto that he stumbled forward a bit. Kristoff pulled him back just in time to prevent what could've been a harsh fall.

“If it's that bad, count me in too. The more, the merrier. And besides, what else is a friend supposed to do?” Kristoff said, grinning.

“Me too, me too!” Olaf cried out, hopping up and down about as much as his 'legs' would allow. “ _I_ want to cheer on friend Hans too!”

Elsa chuckled under her breath. “That's wonderful, Olaf, but do you think you could cheer him on from the hallway? We don't want his brothers to be... overwhelmed by a talking snowman.”

“Oh... Okay!” Olaf replied, as upbeat as ever.

Hans must've been moved by the gestures, as his brows furrowed and he drew in a wet sniff before responding. “... Thank you, everyone. Really. I do appreciate all this.”

“Hey, don't thank us yet! First, we need to show those stuck-up bullies just who the _best_ prince of the Southern Isles is!” Anna proclaimed. She paused, then reached up to pluck some straw from Hans's hair.

\---------

Lars was one of the visiting princes. That was good. Out of all his brothers, Lars was always the one who went easy on Hans. Heck, sometimes he was even supportive. It came with the smarts, Hans supposed. Lars was the only intellectual in the family. Oskar was one of the less vicious brothers as well. Rudi, however... Rudi was one of the worst. Hans could only hope that being apart from his twin brother, Runo, would diminish his need to show off.

As the three of them entered the audience chamber, Hans clicked his heels together, squared his shoulders and folded his hands behind his back. With that, he threw one last anxious glance at his companions. Anna was right by his side, a fire in her eyes and her lips a thin line. It seemed like knowing what sort of people Hans's brothers were had ensured she didn't need their approval anymore. Kristoff was standing a short distance behind them, now dressed in something a bit more formal so that he wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb. He'd been instructed not to speak, but it was unclear whether he would stick to that. As for Elsa, she was seated on her throne, hands placed on either arm rest. Attempting to take comfort in the fact that his friends were prepared to defend him, as well as the notion that his brothers probably couldn't lash out at him in the presence of foreign royalty, he released the breath he'd been holding for far too long already.

The moment the three brothers came to a halt, Hans locked eyes with Rudi by accident and experienced a rush of dread. Sure enough, Rudi smirked widely- an all too familiar expression- and a jab was shot his way. “Hey Hans! Looking good! All those colors really bring out your inner child.”

The effect was instantaneous all around. Oskar laughed into his hand, Anna scoffed and Lars cringed with embarrassment. A stomp behind Hans implied that Kristoff had taken a step forward.

“Rudi, please,” said Lars, and with that, he turned his attention to Hans. “Father has sent us here to retrieve you, though I believe an explanation for your actions would be in order as well. Perhaps we ought to speak in private?”

Hans's gaze shot from Rudi's continued grin to the way Oskar's stance tensed. A chill went down his spine. Following that, he looked to Anna, who gave him a warm smile. “No,” he said to Lars. “It is not my fault that the King of the Southern Isles refuses to believe the message relayed to him by my staff. I will remain in Arendelle until further notice and any objections you have, you may utter in front of everyone here.”

“Hans... I don't believe that to be a good idea. Father has said he will not bless this union.” There was a tone to Lars's voice that came across as a warning. Not a _threat_ , rather, worry.

“If Father wished for one of his sons to forge an alliance with Arendelle, he would've sent Rudi to court the princess, not you,” said Oskar, far less concerned with keeping up appearances. On cue, Rudi winked at Anna, who recoiled with obvious disgust. “Besides, it's not customary for a prince to stay in his bride's country unless she's to be the queen. You would have to take your, heh, your fiancée back to the Southern Isles.”

“Like I'd ever want to go there,” Anna huffed, getting more ruffled by the second.

“Those customs hardly matter. I don't intend to marry Princess Anna as the 13th Prince of the Southern Isles. I intend to marry her because I...” Hans swallowed thickly, knowing he was about to bait quite the response. “... I love her.”

Oskar outright burst into laughter this time, nudging his elbow into the ribcage of Rudi, who looked just as delighted. Lars, on the other hand, seemed about ready to sink through the floor. Instantly, Hans felt five tomme tall and the town fool. Was it really _that_ stupid?

"I... I guess th-that's why they call it love _sick_! Ha ha haaa!" Oskar dabbed a tear from the corner of his eye, cheeks now flushed from all the amusement.

“I hate to break this to you, little brother,” Rudi said through his own guffaws, “but you _are_ the 13th Prince of the Southern Isles. You can't throw that title away as soon as it stops you from having things your way.”

For the first time in a long while, Hans saw with perfect clarity. Those few simple words... They were the solution. They were _freedom_. A very odd feeling was rushing through him. Something that was both warm and cold at the same time. His fingertips tingled and the heavy feeling in his chest began to ebb away.

“Well, why not?” he asked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Who says I need our father's blessing? Who says I want to be a prince of the Southern Isles at all? There's already too many of those as it is. If I was nothing more than a spare, doomed to never see any use, then why _shouldn't_ I throw my title away?”

“You're willing to accept the consequences of what you've just said?” Lars asked quietly.

“Of course. I am a Westergaard, after all. We are lions, not mice. Our dear father taught me that.”

A hush fell over the chamber and for a moment, Hans feared he might've just made the biggest mistake of his life. Whatever sort of expressions Anna and his friends were wearing, he didn't want to know. Instead, he kept his eyes firmly locked on his brothers. First, there was only shock. Then, out of nowhere, Oskar was laughing again, Rudi was throwing his hands up in the air with loud jeering sounds and even Lars was smiling.

What was...?

“Touché, Hans. Wonderful show,” said Lars.

“Our littlest brother is all grown up, can you believe it?” Rudi asked Oskar, who was too busy trying to catch his breath to respond.

Anna took hold of Hans's hand, squeezing it. He looked down at her to see that she was frowning. “You mean... You won't be escorting him back?” she asked.

“If he refuses to go, he refuses to go. I can't say I blame him.” Lars managed the mildest of shrugs through his courteous stance. “We tried to do as our father commanded and failed, so now our job is done.”

“Besides, it's not like we _want_ Hans back. He'll just be moping around the castle all day long, as he always does, ruining everyone's view,” Rudi added, smirking.

"Oof, ye-yes! The Southern Isles have been free of pests ever si-since he left," Oskar said through his wheezing.

“Uh...” said Hans, not sure whether he ought to be insulted or grateful for those sentiments.

“If he's willing to risk his title in order to stand his ground, that's the message we'll pass on to our father. I can't say he'll be pleased to hear it, but it will definitely give him something to think about,” Lars said.

“If it will help the king's peace of mind any, please include a message of my own,” Elsa said, rising to her feet. “With its flourishing trade, strategic location and roots in mystical powers, Arendelle is a powerful ally for the Southern Isles to have. We would also be a powerful _enemy_ to have, and if he does not believe it, he ought to ask the Duke of Weselton for more details on just how frightening we may be.”

Lars stifled a laugh of his own and bowed his head. “Consider it done, Your Majesty.”

“Wait, so what was that thing you said about observing the kingdom while you waited for Hans? Weren't you sneaking around to get dirt on us?” Anna asked.

“Dirt? No, no, it's about _history_!” Lars proclaimed, his eyes lighting up. “Book shops, libraries! Oh, there's so much to _learn_ in Arendelle. I've already secured some wonderful tomes in half an hour's time. I do wish we could stay a bit longer...!”

Oskar and Rudi both groaned at the exact same time. If their father had put Lars in charge, which he would've, it meant that both younger brothers were at the mercy of Lars's whims. That was enough to have Hans crack a smile.

“There's another library on the other side of the kingdom, if you haven't seen it yet. By all means, stay another day and claim there was difficult weather on the seas.”

Lars became even more delighted, while Rudi hung his head and Oskar shot Hans a mean glare. Not long after, the three brothers had left the audience chamber, their small army in tow. The eeriest calm washed over Hans, having him feel as if he'd just been yanked out of a harsh light and instead stuffed into a blissful void of darkness. It was quite the relief.

Kristoff had once again placed a hand on his shoulder from behind, possibly to congratulate him, while Anna cheered and danced through the chamber. Even Elsa was celebrating in her own way, with beautiful flakes of snow drizzling down from the ceiling.

It was impossible to say for certain whether the King of the Southern Isles would accept this answer, but for now, for the first time in a long while, it seemed like everything would be okay.

**To Be Continued**


	8. Razor Sharp Wit

\---------  
  
_“What do we do?”  
  
“I got this. Just don't fall off and don't get eaten.”  
  
“But I wanna help!”  
  
“No!”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Because I don't trust your judgment.”_  
  
\---------  
  
September had arrived and with it, the hot summer days were finally subsiding. Instead, a cold breeze was wafting along. It was nice, really. Not enough to have Kristoff forget about things like his troll family's attempted murder, but still enough for him to enjoy lighthearted afternoons as they arrived. Anna and Hans were both lounging in the castle courtyard, and while Kristoff was still doing some chores here and there, he was at least staying in their company as much as possible. It wasn't just for Anna's sake, either. The way he saw it, Hans had absolutely followed through on promises of friendship, and then some. It would've been so easy for the two of them to be rivals- to _hate_ each other just because they both loved Anna, but it was just as Hans had said: there would've been no _point_ to it. Now they were both getting along, laughing at each other's jokes and offering support with the little things whenever it was needed.  
  
With no more news from the Southern Isles and not a single peep from the trolls, it seemed like their problems were over. He should've known, then, that the calm could never last.  
  
“Hans, will you teach me how to wield a sword?” Anna asked out of nowhere.  
  
Kristoff, who just happened to be in earshot at that exact moment, dropped the bucket of water he'd been lugging towards the stable for Sven. The contents spilled all over his shoes and when he looked up, he realized that the clattering noise had drawn Anna's attention. She was looking his way with an unreadable expression.  
  
That shouldn't have been her first priority, Kristoff realized when he tore his eyes away from hers. Anna's question had caught her boyfriend off guard so badly that he was now silently choking on whatever it was he'd been eating. She hadn't even noticed. Kristoff ran up to Hans, his feet sloshing inside his wet shoes as he went. Several claps on the back later, a hunk of bread was spat to the ground and Hans was left wheezing in a squeaky manner. The look of gratitude that was shot up at Kristoff was met with a wry smile, then they both turned their attention back to Anna.  
  
So much for a lighthearted afternoon.  
  
“... What? Was that _really_ so shocking?” Anna demanded, placing both hands on her hips.  
  
Hans coughed into his hand a few times, then cleared his throat. “Well, ah...”  
  
“ _Why_ , exactly, do you want to wield a sword?” Kristoff asked in turn, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
“Why _shouldn't_ I?”  
  
“I wouldn't say that you _shouldn't_ learn,” Hans said in a slow, deliberate tone of voice. Then he smiled. “Someone very wise told me that anyone with enough common sense to avoid confrontation has no need for weapons.”  
  
Kristoff chuckled. “Someone very _wise_ , huh? I'm flattered. But yes, I think the only thing more dangerous than an enemy swinging a sword would be _you_ swinging a sword.”  
  
Anna's eyes swerved between the two of them, then finally fixed on Kristoff. He didn't like where this was going. She must've honed in on him as the root of the problem, while Hans would be far more easily persuaded. That meant she was going to target him first- and she _did_.  
  
“There's nothing dangerous about it if I have a good teacher!” she snapped at him. “And besides, it's not like we can always avoid confrontation! What with crossing the King of the Southern Isles and the trolls having it out for Hans, it's starting to feel like confrontations come our way no matter _what_ we do. Isn't it better, then, to be able to defend ourselves?”  
  
“Look, Anna...” Kristoff began warily. “You don't need to wield a sword when it comes to that. You've got plenty of other strengths.”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
“Liiike... Like your love for your family and friends.”  
  
Anna scoffed. “Oh yes, _that_ will save the kingdom in a time of crisis.”  
  
“In Kristoff's defense, it _did_ save the kingdom from Elsa's powers,” Hans pointed out.  
  
Kristoff was beginning to take incredible delight in every single instance _his_ side was chosen over Anna's. It proved that Hans was _learning_ , growing beyond blind devotion and adopting more of that second-guessing that had been recommended to him. Or maybe he just had enough common sense to know when Kristoff was right. Either one was amazing.  
  
“Well, I doubt it'll work like that a second time,” Anna said. “Please, Hans. Isn't it better that I know how to wield a sword and never need it, than to find myself in a situation where I couldn't even slash my way out of a paper bag? … A paper bag of _death_?”  
  
“Ah...” Hans looked up towards Kristoff, and it was clear from his eyes that he was now second-guessing the second-guesser. Was he really that easily swayed after all? Eesh.  
  
Kristoff shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the conversation, because he didn't want to put any words into Hans's mouth. It would just have Anna see him as the enemy even more. Besides, there was still an inkling of hope that maybe, just maybe, Hans would continue to side with him.  
  
How painful it was when Hans caved, offering the notion of: “I suppose it couldn't hurt, could it?”  
  
“Anna plus sharp objects? That could definitely hurt,” Kristoff said before he could stop himself.  
  
“You're such a _jerk_! Sometimes I wonder why we're even friends,” she snapped.  
  
Those words alone were enough to have any comeback die in the back of Kristoff's throat. As he stared down at the ground, he realized that the guy who _should've_ been his rival was a better friend to him than the girl he had feelings for. Even now, while he had his back turned, he was sure Hans was shooting him a look of sympathy while Anna fumed in her own indignation.  
  
“Come on, Hans. Pleeease! It'll be a great bonding experience for us!”  
  
“Alright. If it means that much to you, I'll teach you.”  
  
And that was it. There was nothing more Kristoff could do to prevent catastrophe. There was always a chance things wouldn't turn out so bad, but knowing his luck, everything would escalate soon enough. Even as he walked away, he could hear the bad omens.  
  
“Eee, this is going to be so much fun! You can show me all your best moves! I'll be your finest student, I promise!”  
  
“I'm honored to be your teacher, that much is certain. We'll have to find a good sword for you, though.”  
  
“Don't worry about that, I used to sneak into the armory all the time! They have all sorts of blades, big and small. I dropped a big one on my toes once- handle first, of course, but it was _awful_ , so let's not take one of those.”  
  
\---------  
  
Anna was pretty good at using swords, if she said so herself. Sure, sometimes she'd lose her balance while taking a swing. And sure, sometimes the blade would hit the ground. That didn't mean she was _bad_ at it. Hans had said she was making great progress, and everything from his adoring eyes to his fond smile solidified that he _meant_ it.  
  
Besides, how could she not be good at it with such a wonderful sword? It was light in weight, but long enough to hit enemies without getting too close to them. There were beautiful ornate swirls worked into the blade, the grip was a dark violet color and it came with a matching sheath. She _loved_ it. Now the only problem was putting the sword to use in a way that didn't have Hans trying to correct her. Even _holding_ it was causing criticism during their training sessions.  
  
“Good, good, but ah... You ought to straighten your wrist a bit more,” he was saying.  
  
“It _is_ straight, isn't it?”  
  
“Not really...”  
  
“Then, like _this_?”  
  
“Good! That's better. Now release the strain in your elbow.”  
  
Anna groaned and moved out of her sword-wielding stance again, hanging her head backwards. “Not the _elbow_ again! Uuugh, why can't we just get to the actual _swinging_ already? I'm way better at that!”  
  
“Because I'd rather you don't sprain any muscles when your sword hits something,” Hans replied. He stepped over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I'm already convinced that you're capable of swinging it, but the basics are very important.”  
  
Anna spent a good seven seconds staring into Hans's eyes. Then she remembered there was a problem at hand. “It's _too_ basic!” she whined.  
  
“... Alright, then let's try something else.”  
  
Hans moved to stand in front of Anna and drew his sword. He held it in the exact stance he'd been attempting to teach her for days already; straight wrist, relaxed elbow and knee pointing lightly outward. Ugh, he made it look so easy! She was sure she was copying it perfectly, too.  
  
“Say I take a step forward and swing my blade at you like this,” he said, slowly moving his sword at an upwards diagonal angle towards the side of Anna's neck. “What do you do?”  
  
Anna smirked. “Ooh, I know this one! You're leaving your left side open, so I thrust my own sword forward like this to run you through like the treacherous scum you are! Or- Uh- _Would_ be.”  
  
“Aaand you're dead,” Hans remarked.  
  
“What? _No_ , I'm not! That was a brilliant move! How am I dead?”  
  
“Because my sword reached your neck long before the tip of your blade could ever touch my stomach. Countering an oncoming attack with a completely different attack is too great a risk, so please don't do it. And besides... When faced with a thrust, I could easily dodge to the right to avoid it while I'm still in the momentum of my swing, like this,” he explained, and sure enough, he swerved to the right with an agile sweeping motion.  
  
Anna frowned and slipped her sword back into its sheath. “Well, what if... Instead of striking my opponent down with my sword, I give him a bad case of... the _tickles_?!”  
  
She lunged forward and Hans, too late to shield himself, was subjected to a fierce tickle attack. He was so squeamish about that sort of thing that not even two layers of fabric could protect his abdomen from Anna's fingers, causing him to double over with laughter immediately. His sword fell to the ground with a clatter.  
  
“N-No! Anna, no! Ahaha- _St-Stop_ it!”  
  
“Who's dead _now_ , huh?” Anna demanded, moving around Hans to hold him back with one arm while the other hand tickled him from behind.  
  
“No! N-Noooo! I'll _never_ sur-surrender!”  
  
Much as Hans tried to escape, the tickles left him too weak to slip out of Anna's arm. His knees buckled and she went down with him, still not relenting in the least. What stopped the tickle fight in the end was a clearing of the throat from somewhere nearby. Anna looked up to see someone from the royal guard standing by the door, fighting a losing battle not to grin.  
  
“O-Oh! This is... not what it looks like!” she stammered. She quickly released Hans and allowed him to stand up straight, but he was still wheezing and red in the face when he had to address the guard.  
  
“What... What is it?” he asked in a slightly raspy voice.  
  
“We're heading out for another search, Prince Hans,” the guard said. “Will you be joining us?”  
  
“Oh! Yes! Yes, thank you. Please give me a moment.”  
  
“We will meet you by the stables, then,” said the guard. He dipped his head and left the room, still grinning as he went.  
  
Hans turned towards his fallen sword, but Anna wouldn't let him get distracted that easily. She grabbed his arm to get his attention. “ _Wait_ , wait! What's this about a search?” she demanded, getting her face as close to his as possible so she wouldn't miss even the slightest twitch in his features.  
  
“It's nothing to worry about,” he said, placing his hand atop her own. “Some bandits have been ambushing people on roads in and out of Arendelle. We expect they have a hideout somewhere, so we've been searching for that. … Well, the guards have been searching for it. I help where I can.”  
  
“There's a bandit hideout in Arendelle?” Anna asked, taken aback. She hadn't heard anything at all about that.  
  
“Possibly. It's my belief that they've set up camp _outside_ Arendelle. The woods would be an ideal location.”  
  
“You mean... Near the North Mountain?”  
  
What with the remains of Elsa's ice castle still up there, as well as the Valley of the Living Rock close to the summit, those woods were already full of questionable things. If there was a group of bandits hiding out there too... Well, maybe the trolls would have them plummet into a ravine, but she doubted the kingdom would be that lucky. Going by the string of recent events, the trolls would sooner team up with the bandits to double the trouble.  
  
What a relief it was when Hans shook his head. “We've seen some tracks east of Arendelle. No one going to the mountains would take that route. It could just be some other travelers, but it's the only thing we have to go on right now.”  
  
“Oooh, what will you do when you find them?” Anna asked, now envisioning a few scruffy bandits surrounded by the royal guard, with Hans front and center to lead the charge. She released his arm and took a step back, clapping her hands together. “Will you fight them? Do you think they'll have swords too? Maybe you should bring a crossbow, just in case! Or a _second_ sword!”  
  
Hans laughed, and as always, Anna treasured the sound. Then he tilted his head. “If all goes well, they'll give up without a fight and we can arrest them straight away.”  
  
“But maybe you should punch them anyway! Just to teach them a lesson!”  
  
“ _Anna_...”  
  
For a moment, they just stood there, relishing their own amusement. Then Hans snatched up his sword and sheathed it with one flourishing motion. Anna made a mental note to practice that very same thing later. She felt her hand being taken and lifted, ever so gentle. The next second, Hans had pressed a kiss against the back of it.  
  
“I'll return in a few hours, with or without bandits,” he said, his gaze fixing with hers in a stunning, wonderful lock.  
  
“A-Alright,” she stammered.  
  
By the time she snapped out of her daze, Hans was already halfway to the door. Just like that, determination knocked apprehension to the ground. She ran up to him, calling his name, and the moment he turned, she threw her arms around his neck. For the first time since her heart was frozen, she pressed her lips directly against Hans's. Just as back then, she felt a warmth spread through her body. It was like she was soaring, and Hans was right there with her. After a second or two, a pair of arms folded around her back, holding her closer. This time, Hans was definitely kissing her back.  
  
It was amazing.  
  
He was also the first to break the hold again, taking a stumble of a step backwards. His entire face was beet red, even his ears. He raised a hand to his mouth, obscuring a sly smile.  
  
“That was for good luck,” Anna joked.  
  
“I can feel my fortune improving already,” he replied.  
  
\---------  
  
There was a river which flowed in from the east. Anna had remembered it shortly after Hans had left. Small as it was, it wasn't on most of the maps. Still, it stood to reason that if anyone had set up camp towards the east, they would've stuck within walking distance of that river. If there were bandits out there, it was their best bet.  
  
But now Hans was gone and Anna was _bursting_ to have her theory verified. She couldn't just sit around and wait. She had to _know_.  
  
Kjekk had been saddled up so fast, she almost forgot his bridle. Once she was sure everything was in place, she sped out the city and into the forest. Her sword was strapped to her side and if she were honest, the motions of horseback riding made it jostle around in the most uncomfortable manner. Was this what the royal guard had to put up with every single time? What a pain!  
  
Once she reached the river, she dismounted and began to move along the shore on foot. It was much easier to search for suspicious tracks that way. She made sure to keep a firm grip on Kjekk's reins, though. The last thing she needed was for her horse to run off without her, as he often tended to do. Where Sitron was a very obedient, loyal steed, much like Sven, Kjekk was one of the naughtiest animals Anna had ever met.  
  
Now she just had to find the bandit camp, mark its location on a map and Hans could go there to apprehend them! Then he'd get all the credit and everyone would love him even more, and Anna could rest easy knowing a few more criminals were rotting away in jail. It was the perfect plan.  
  
There was a hitch, she came to find. She hadn't even been following the river for more than five minutes when she heard a familiar voice shouting her name. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Kristoff and Sven closing in fast. It was the weirdest sight; they must've left their sled behind in Arendelle and instead, Kristoff was riding Sven like a horse.  
  
She brought Kjekk to a halt and waited for him to catch up.  
  
“Anna! What are you doing out here by yourself?” he demanded right off the bat, slipping off Sven's back so carelessly that she could almost feel the ground vibrate when he landed. For a friend, he did _not_ look happy to see her. Instead, he looked uneasy, maybe even _worried_. His restless expression was mirrored by Sven, who snorted and dipped his head.  
  
“Well- Wait, what about _you_? What are _you_ doing out here?”  
  
“I was at the market with Sven when you came galloping past. When you ignored me, I thought something was wrong, so I finished my business and came after you.”  
  
“ _Ignored_ you? I didn't even _see_ you.”  
  
“Seriously? I _waved_ to you.”  
  
“Oof... Sorry. Really, I am. That's... Wow.”  
  
“Sooo...” Kristoff trailed off. He looked to the ground, to the river, to Sven's neck and then finally back to Anna. “ _Is_ there something wrong?”  
  
“If you _must_ know, I'm searching for bandits,” she said stiffly.  
  
“Wait, what?”  
  
“Yes! The royal guard believes there's a bandit camp somewhere near here. Hans is out searching with them. But if there _is_ a camp, it's gotta be close to the river, right? So-”  
  
“So you came out here _all alone_? What were you _thinking_?”  
  
Anna bristled at his dismissive attitude. It was just like Kristoff to bring a hail storm to a festival. “I was _thinking_ that one person draws far less attention than a crowd of soldiers,” she snapped. “So maybe you should just go home and let me search in peace and quiet.”  
  
“And what if the bandits still see you before you see them? What then?”  
  
“Then I'll _fight_ them.”  
  
“With what? That puny sword?”  
  
“ _Excuse_ me.” Anna placed both hands on her hips, glaring him down. “This _puny_ sword is one of the finest the armory had to offer for me.”  
  
“Yeah, that's real helpful when you're surrounded by a whole bunch of criminals,” Kristoff remarked dryly.  
  
“You don't know what you're-”  
  
Anna couldn't finish the rest of her sentence, because she realized in that very instant she was no longer holding onto Kjekk's reins. As soon as she turned around, she saw that her horse was already speeding away, following the river downstream. Kristoff and Sven watched him go, more surprised than anything else.  
  
“Aaaah! No! Kjekk! Come back!” Anna shouted, but she knew it was in vain. With that, she felt more than justified taking her anger out on Kristoff. “ _Now_ look what you've done!”  
  
“ _Me_? What'd _I_ do?”  
  
“Come on, we have to go find him. If he ends up hassling the fruit vendor in the marketplace again, I'll never hear the end of it.”  
  
Anna began to walk along the shore, the crunch of boots and hooves on gravel indicating that Kristoff and Sven were following right behind her. She could only get so far, though. There was another thud, a rustle of leaves and then, quite suddenly, a very tall guy was standing before her, blocking her path. Even Kristoff had nothing on this fellow. Scruffy and beady-eyed, his mouth was twisted into a lopsided grin. He was so big, it took Anna a second to notice the woman beside him and even longer to see the weapons they were holding. The man had a sword while the woman was pointing a crossbow their way.  
  
“Well well well... Look what came wandering into our neck of the woods,” the man growled.  
  
“Eep,” was Anna's immediate response, her eyes still on the tip of the crossbow's arrow. It was followed by: “Our mistake! We'll just head the other way.”  
  
She turned round and the first thing she saw was Kristoff and Sven. The second thing she saw was the _third_ stranger, who was standing behind them, sword and all. They were surrounded and Kristoff looked _pissed_.  
  
Remembering that this was exactly what she'd been training for, she drew her own weapon and assumed the stance Hans had taught her. One leg forward, knee slightly outward, elbow relaxed, wrist straight... Knowing that she'd _nailed_ it, her confidence gained another boost and her eyes narrowed into a glare.  
  
Aaand then the sword was knocked from her hand by a sideways blow from the extremely tall guy. It bounced along the ground and instantly, Anna felt all hope leave her body.  
  
“That was a very nice try, Princess Anna,” the woman with the crossbow said. “You're a long way from the castle, aren't ya? And with only one escort, no less...”  
  
“Guess this must be her fiancé, that Prince Hans guy,” said the largest of the two men, jabbing his sword in Kristoff's direction.  
  
Right on cue, Anna looked towards Kristoff and met his eyes. Heat rising in her cheeks, she turned her head the other way and began to sputter denials at the exact same time _he_ did.  
  
“No, no, I'm not-”  
  
“He's not-”  
  
“ _We're_ not-”  
  
“He's just a friend, really-”  
  
“Never even _been_ to the Southern Isles-”  
  
“Oh really?” said the woman, shutting them both up again. “If he's _not_ Prince Hans, we might as well kill him. The _princess_ will still fetch a hefty price, but nobody will pay for 'just a friend' of hers. We can't have him telling anyone where he saw us.”  
  
Kristoff was silent for a whole of three seconds, then frantically waved both his hands. “Y-You caught me! I _am_ Prince Hans! … Of the Southern Isles!”  
  
“He _is_!” Anna chimed in immediately.  
  
“I don't know... Why is he dressed like that?” the shorter of the male bandits asked, taking hold of Kristoff's sleeve, which had been mended twice over and was just barely keeping itself together.  
  
“He's blending in with the citizens to get to know them better!” Anna said.  
  
Kristoff cleared his throat and snatched his sleeve out of the bandit's hand. “Um. Yes. Nothing like dressing up like a commoner to get away from the hectic castle life and mingle with these fine people of Arendelle...”  
  
“Why is he with a reindeer?”  
  
“Uhhh,” said Anna.  
  
“I've never seen that reindeer before in my life! It just suddenly showed up and it refuses to stop pestering us,” Kristoff claimed valiantly. He began to wave a dismissive hand towards Sven. “It must think we have food with us, or something. So... _shoo_ , reindeer! Go back to wherever you came from and forever remember that _this_ is the last place you saw us!”  
  
Sven stood perfectly still, watching Kristoff with a frown and a tilt of the head.  
  
“Go. _Back_ ,” Kristoff insisted, his eyes narrowing.  
  
Anna held her breath as well, wishing upon anything that might grant it for the hint to sink in. Finally, a look of understanding dawned on the reindeer's face. He turned and ran off down the river. One of the bandits looked like he might follow, only to be stopped by his fellows.  
  
“Don't. We can hunt more reindeer any time. Right now, we need to focus on getting these two back to camp.”  
  
“Sure. Whatever. Let's just take them both. If it turns out he's _not_ Prince Hans, the ransom for him won't be paid and we can just kill him anyway.”  
  
Anna gulped and by her side, Kristoff hung his head. Well, at least she was going to find out where the bandit camp was.  
  
\---------  
  
Captured by bandits and locked in a cage with the girl he had feelings for, who was somewhat engaged to someone else, while the bandits in question believed him to _be_ that someone else... It sure was something. He was sitting on the ground, his hands tied behind his back, but that wasn't the worst of it. Just to make the situation more complicated in a multitude of ways, the bandits had tied his hands to _Anna's_ hands with the same rope, forcing them to remain back to back.  
  
How much worse could this day get? Kristoff didn't want to tempt fate by considering the options.  
  
Their cage was located on the edge of the camp and seemed like the sort that would usually be used to detain animals. A reindeer could fit inside it with a bit of difficulty. A human being standing upright would definitely hit their head. From what he could tell, there were only three bandits in all. The tallest of them all was sitting by the campfire, not a care in the world. The woman and the shorter guy had entered the tent a while back, Anna's sword in hand, and hadn't made their presence known since. Kristoff's best bet was that they were figuring out how to write a ransom note without being bogged down by illiteracy. Either way, nobody was standing guard near the cage.  
  
It seemed like the bandits didn't consider them a flight hazard at all. They were right to feel that way. Kristoff had no idea how to get out. Their only hope now was that Sven could get help.  
  
“... I'm sorry, Kristoff,” Anna whispered under her breath.  
  
“Sorry? You're _sorry_?” he hissed towards his feet.  
  
“Hey, what are you getting mad at _me_ for? How was I supposed to know they'd take us hostage?”  
  
“You were _searching for a bandit camp_. What did you _think_ was going to happen?”  
  
“Right. Well... I didn't _ask_ you to come...! If you'd just gone home-”  
  
“This is exactly why I didn't want you to learning how to use a sword! I didn't want you getting into trouble!”  
  
“Excuse me? I wanted to learn how to wield a sword so I could get _out_ of trouble without someone jumping to my rescue.”  
  
Anna must've been bristling by now, as he felt her squirming against his back and the ropes around his wrists felt even tighter. Kristoff cast another glance around the camp, but two of the bandits were still inside their tent while the third was warming food by the fire. It didn't seem as if he could hear a single word of their bickering. Even so, Kristoff made sure to keep his volume down.  
  
“No, you went _looking_ for trouble, because that's what you always do,” he said.  
  
“It's not _like_ that! I... Gah! I knew you wouldn't understand!”  
  
“Try me.”  
  
“It's just... Elsa has those _amazing_ powers and I'm...” Anna was quiet for a few seconds, then went on with a distinct bitterness to her voice. “I'm ordinary. Just some weak princess. But I don't want to _be_ weak. I want to be strong enough to protect people, because if I can't help keep my loved ones safe, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.”  
  
Kristoff shook his head. “You don't need magic powers or a big, sharp weapon to keep your loved ones safe. Trust me. All you need is a smart head on your shoulders and you've already _got_ one of those.”  
  
“... You really think so?”  
  
“I _know_ so. I just wish you used it more often.”  
  
“Why didn't you _tell_ me that?”  
  
“I _tried_. You just didn't want to listen...! And yes, alright, maaaybe my words came out wrong before. I just... I can't stand it when you get hurt.”  
  
“Kristoff... You're _worried_ about me?”  
  
“Of course I am! I worry about you _all the time_. And I know that's supposed to be Hans's job, but...”  
  
He trailed off uncomfortably, sure he'd already said too much. What even was the point to all this arguing? It was only souring the mood further. Behind him, he could hear one of Anna's feet scuffle along the ground.  
  
“... Olaf was right after all,” she said quite suddenly.  
  
“Olaf?” he repeated, a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. “Why? What'd he say?”  
  
“He... He said that you love me.”  
  
“He said _what_?!” Kristoff blurted out, and in the moment of panic, didn't realize his voice had raised so far. The bandit by the campfire shot a confused look their way. A fiery blush on his cheeks and a clenching feeling inside his chest, he hung his head and continued in a whisper. “I don't- I mean- _Love_ is much too big a word.”  
  
“But it's not just friendship,” Anna stated.  
  
“I just... I have some _feelings_ that are a little too strong,” he stammered. “But it doesn't matter, because you love Hans and Hans loves you.”  
  
“Oh... _Kristoff_...”  
  
There was a very peculiar note to Anna's voice, now. Pity, he was sure. He could even feel Anna's fingers stretching out towards his own. That wasn't helpful. His hands curled into fists, ensuring she couldn't reach.  
  
“Don't. I understand, alright? I know why you would choose Hans. It's not just because he's a prince. He's perfect for you in every way. He's supportive, he's polite, he's funny, he's handsome-” Kristoff broke off quite suddenly when he realized he'd just described another man as handsome and _meant_ it. His next words came in a bit of a stutter. “-A-And he actually likes being around other people, and other people like being around him. And he's honest about his feelings- he shows them just like that. He's... He's _amazing_. And I'm just some smelly weirdo who talks to reindeer. I get that.”  
  
“But you're amazing too!” Anna insisted. “Just... In a different way!”  
  
“No, I'm not.”  
  
“Yes, you are! You're big and strong, and you give the most _amazing_ hugs! And I think it's _sweet_ how you talk to reindeer, and you can play the _lute_ and...” Anna was quiet for a few seconds, then continued in a softer tone of voice. “And even if you don't act like it sometimes, you really do care about other people a lot. You're willing to do _so much_ to protect them... Even if it costs you your own happiness... Kristoff, don't you see? You're a really kind, selfless, _wonderful_ guy.”  
  
“Yeah, but that still doesn't compare to Hans,” he grumbled.  
  
Anna huffed and knocked the back of her head against Kristoff's. “You shouldn't be comparing yourself to Hans in the first place, you big goof. That's like trying to compare chocolate to cake. They're two completely different things and I love them both!”  
  
Kristoff's vision failed him as he tried to grasp what'd just been said. Did Anna imply that on purpose, or was she being her usual awkward self? Did that slip out without her meaning to? Did she even _know_ what she'd just said? Or was Kristoff overthinking something very simple?  
  
“You _love_...?” he asked quietly.  
  
“Chocolate and cake, yes!” Anna replied with such impatience, she could only have been talking about the actual food. It figured. Then she continued on with a solemn tone of voice. “Anyway, I... I'm sorry for snapping at you sometimes. It's just... I know you're bad at saying what you mean. I _know_ that. But when you tease me or say I can't handle myself, I get frustrated. Because I don't _want_ you to see me as some helpless princess.”  
  
“Anna, I don't-”  
  
“Yes, you do. And maybe I _am_ helpless, naive and clumsy. But that's why I want to get better. I want you to be proud of me and not have to worry about me, so... So we won't ever fight each other again. Does that make sense?”  
  
Kristoff sighed and hung his head back. “That makes sense. Trouble is, we're _both_ helpless right now. We're just going to have to wait for Hans to come riding in like a... a knight in shining armor and save us.”  
  
“No. We don't have to wait for Hans. We don't need _anyone_ to save us. We're going to get out of this ourselves,” Anna insisted.  
  
“Oh yeah? How?”  
  
“By using that smart head I've got on my shoulders. Just follow my lead, alright?”  
  
Kristoff would've questioned the plan further, but he was never given the opportunity. Out of nowhere, Anna was _bawling_. Her voice loud and nasal, it echoed across the camp and into the forest. Her body was shaking and hitching behind him as well. Startled and uncomfortable, Kristoff tried to crane his head backwards to see what was happening, but it was no good.  
  
“W-What are you-” he whispered, but his words were absorbed into Anna's wails.  
  
“WAAAAAAA! This is all my FAAAAULT! I'm so STUPIIIIID!”  
  
Kristoff's gaze shot towards the tents. The bandit by the campfire was rising to his feet, reaching for his sword, and that was enough to cause further alarm. “ _Anna_ ,” he hissed, trying to jab his elbow into her back. “Stop it...!”  
  
But she didn't stop. She choked and sobbed, then went right back to howling. “I'm so-soorry Haaans! I-I-I just wanted to... to do _GOOOOD_...!”  
  
The other two bandits stuck their heads out of the tent, both looking torn between curious and annoyed. “What the hell is going on?” Kristoff heard one of them say. The one by the campfire replied and while Anna chose that exact moment to blubber even _louder_ , Kristoff saw a distinct shrug of the shoulders. “Well, shut her up, will you?” was the following question, then the two companions disappeared again. Apparently frustrated, the remaining bandit approached their cage, his feet stomping every step of the way. He looked about ready to _kill_.  
  
“Anna, please be quiet,” Kristoff pleaded.  
  
“No, I ca-can't! I can't stay quiet any longer! There's... something I have to tell you be-before we die, Hans! I'm... in love with another man!”  
  
“You're _what_?!”  
  
Kristoff was surprised at how loud and highpitched his voice had gone. Never in his life had he sounded quite like _that_. His shock must've been contagious, because the bandit paused in his tracks too, eyes wide and jaw dropped.  
  
“ _Yes_! I'm sorry,” Anna wailed. “I _know_ I should've t-told you before, but... I couldn't! I thought it was all in my mind! But you're like cake and he's like chocolate! You don't compare to chocolate at all! You're... You're not even _close_ to his level, Hans! I'm sorry if that makes you mad!”  
  
This was, without a doubt, the most confusing situation Kristoff had ever been in. Anna must've been up to something, her wording made that much obvious, but he failed to see the point in her theatrics. She'd asked him to follow his lead, though, so he supposed he had to play along with... _whatever_ this was.  
  
“How _could_ you!” he hollered, ramming one of his feet against the bars of their cage. “Not even _close_?! You said you _loved_ me! No- It was _true_ love! We danced the night away! We shared personal stories! We finished each other's _sandwiches_ , remember?!”  
  
“I don't even _like_ sandwiches, Hans! How could you not know this?!”  
  
“Who is this other man?! I'll have his _head_ for a trophy!”  
  
“I'll never tell! All I can say is that he's more man than you'll _ever_ be! Y-You and your _laughable_ foot size!”  
  
“Oh?! And how would _you_ know about my foot size?! You never let me take off my _shoes_!”  
  
Kristoff was so wrapped up in his performance now, he hadn't noticed that the bandit had walked up to the cage until he heard the man's voice. “Alright, _alright_ , that's enough out of you two lovebirds,” he said, but it was clear Anna wasn't listening at all. She gave Kristoff such a sudden, forceful shove from behind that his forehead almost collided with his knees.  
  
“You're just a big, dumb _dummy_! I wish I'd _never_ accepted your proposal!” she screamed.  
  
“I wish I'd never proposed to a clumsy, softhearted squirrel like you in the _first place_!” Kristoff shouted back at her. He dug his heels into the ground so he could counteract the shoving and instead push _her_ backwards.  
  
“ _Ow_ ow ow ow! I'll get you for that!”  
  
“ _Hey_!” the bandit shouted, banging a fist against the cage. “I said _that's enough_! Stop it! Right now!”  
  
But they _didn't_ stop. A war was waging now, with Anna trying to shove Kristoff up against the side of the cage and him doing his best to turn the tables on her. After one particularly bad jab of her elbow, he tried to lift himself up from the ground as much as possible without hitting his head on the wooden plate serving as the ceiling, his weight pushing down on her back. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to give a good show- or so he hoped.  
  
“Yeek! You're _crushing_ me with your weirdly broad shoulders!” Anna gasped.  
  
“Serves you right!” he said, not relenting in the least.  
  
If the next step of Anna's plan involved the bandit opening the cage, they were in luck, as the brute was doing just that. If it was _not_ part of Anna's plan, they were in deep trouble now, because boy, did he look like he was on his last shred of patience. He entered the cage, doubled over to avoid hitting his head on the low ceiling and as he did so, Kristoff saw his sword gleam in the light of the distant campfire.  
  
“Get off each other right now!”  
  
Kristoff felt a strong hand grab his arm to pull him back to the ground, and in that instant, he sure hoped Anna was using her smart head to consider a course of action. The next second, he wondered no more; with the bandit leaning over them to pin Kristoff down, there was an opportunity for Anna to take. As soon as the brute began to retreat, she raised a foot to kick him square in the face. The poor fool never stood a chance. He fell and hit the side of the cage with a bit of a thud. Kristoff was sure he could see the imprint of Anna's high heel in the man's forehead.  
  
“And _that's_ how you do it,” she whispered.  
  
Kristoff took a moment to observe their new situation. The cage's door was still open, so that was good. They were still tied up, though, which made escaping a whole lot more difficult and that was _bad_. The other two bandits didn't seem to have noticed anything had happened to their buddy, which was good. They would find out soon enough, and that was the worst thing of all. There was no way Anna and Kristoff could flee into the forest without being hunted down.  
  
He cringed. “Yeah, sure. Great. This is fine.”  
  
But Anna wasn't listening. She was trying to shuffle their weight sideways, towards the sword the bandit had dropped. Her hands were squirming around too. Was she going to...? Oh _no_...  
  
“Don't,” he hissed at her. “You'll slice our fingers off. Or _worse_.”  
  
“Don't be a baby, _Hans_ ,” she whispered back at him, and as soon as Kristoff saw the sword's blade tilt towards them, he knew she must've gotten her hands on it.  
  
He closed his eyes, leaned forward as far as he could go and waited for sharp metal to dig into the flesh of his arm, his wrist or even his _back_. A discreet, rhythmic ripping sound indicated that Anna was indeed cutting into _something_. The seconds seemed to drag onto minutes which felt like _hours_. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Kristoff's face. Then, finally, the pressure which had been snared around his wrists eased up. Amazed, he moved his hands away from his back and towards his lap. Aside from the bruising the rope had caused, he was unscathed.  
  
“Anna-” He whirled round, because now that he knew he was alright, worry for his friend took hold. As it turned out, that was unwarranted. She was already scrambling her way out of the cage, the sword in hand.  
  
“Are you coming out, or are you staying in there with your new friend?” she asked.  
  
Kristoff shot a quick glance towards the unconscious bandit, then scampered towards the door on all fours and hastily closed it behind himself. Standing up straight, with free use of his limbs, came as wonderful relief. He rolled his 'weirdly broad' shoulders and stretched his arms out in front of himself, then remembered they were still in deep trouble.  
  
“We should go. _Now_ ,” he said, already stepping towards the forest behind them and coming to a stop when he noticed Anna wasn't following. He looked back to see she was headed in the opposite direction. Of course she was. Of course she would tempt fate.  
  
Anna was stubborn, impulsive and refused to take any injustice sitting down. Odd as it was, Kristoff adored her for that attitude.  
  
He couldn't possibly let her go by herself, that was certain. Besides, they had a weapon and the element of surprise now. That had to count for something. They sneaked towards the tent, and as they did so, Kristoff dipped a big, leafy branch into the campfire. Not even a minute later, the entire back of the tent was going up in flames and two panicked bandits were darting blindly out into the open. Anna was already waiting for them there, sword directed right at a bare throat with inches to spare. Another two minutes later, a grand total of _three_ bandits were locked inside the cage and Anna's own sword was once again strapped to her waist.  
  
“Sooo?” Anna demanded, and never before had Kristoff seen her look this smug. He wasn't going to let her get off the hook that easily.  
  
“So, I told you so,” he replied with a shrug. “You don't need a sharp sword when you have sharp wit.”  
  
“But the sword helped!”  
  
“By doing the exact same thing as a kitchen knife, sure. You didn't need to _wield_ it.”  
  
Anna was furious now, both hands curled into fists. “Uuuugh! Why can't you just admit you were wrong?!”  
  
“... Fine. Wielding a sword can be useful sometimes,” he said, rolling his eyes just a bit.  
  
“ _See_?” Anna rammed her right fist into his arm. He barely felt it. “So, are you going to take lessons from Hans too?”  
  
The question brought a bitter smile to his face. “Hah! I'll pass. Wouldn't want to intrude on your bonding exercises.”  
  
“Oh...”  
  
An uncomfortable tension bubbled inside Kristoff's chest. Luckily, he didn't need to focus on it for too long. The sound of hoof beats, drawing ever closer, caused them both to turn their attention to the forest. Not long after, Sven came dashing into the camp, followed by several royal guards and Hans. What came next was a pandemonium of shouting.  
  
“Anna!”  
  
“Princess!”  
  
“Sven! Buddy! You did it!”  
  
“I can't believe the reindeer was right...!”  
  
“Hans! Look! We caught the bandits for you!”  
  
“You _what_?!”  
  
“Let us out! We're not bandits, we're just innocent tourists from Corona on a camping trip! Your fiancée is insane!”  
  
“ _Quiet, you_!”  
  
From that point on, the bandits were the royal guard's problem. Now all that was left was for Hans to scold Anna for her reckless behavior, but Kristoff already knew that such a thing wouldn't happen. Indeed, it _didn't_. Hans's mind seemed focused on other things, as he looked relieved to see her and acted curious about what'd happened. While the bandits were all restrained and led away by the guard, Hans tried to guide Anna towards Sitron by the hand.  
  
“Come on,” he was saying. “You can tell me all about your heroics on the way home. Kjekk is already there; he returned without you about an hour ago, so you can ride with me.”  
  
At that moment, Kristoff believed he was seeing things as they were meant to be. Anna could take off with her true love and he would be left behind with Sven, as always. Then something unexpected happened.  
  
“ _Actually_...” Anna drew her hand from Hans's hold and stopped in her tracks. “I was thinking that _Kristoff_ could ride back with you.”  
  
“Wait, what?” both Hans and Kristoff asked at the same time.  
  
“Well, think about it! Otherwise, he'd have to ride back on Sven. Hasn't that poor reindeer been through enough for one day? I'm _much_ lighter than Kristoff is, so it'll be easier on Sven's back.”  
  
What kind of nonsense was she spouting now? Sven had never had any problems with it on the rare occasion Kristoff had to ride on his back. Still, it seemed like her mind was made up and she was already digging her hands into the fur of Sven's neck. Kristoff hesitated, then tore his eyes away from that sight and glanced towards Hans instead.  
  
“Ah... Well, if it would be easier for Sven to carry Anna, I'm not _opposed_ to... it,” the prince said with obvious discomfort.  
  
Kristoff strongly considered walking back to the city. Still, once Hans had mounted Sitron and held out a hand with a smile, he swallowed his pride and accepted the gesture. He guessed that Anna felt uncomfortable sticking so close to Hans after finding out about Kristoff's feelings. Or maybe refusing to ride with Hans was some sort of twisted present for him. If so, that sentiment missed its mark spectacularly. Sure, he didn't have to watch the girl he had feelings for wrap her arms around another man. That didn't mean this was a good alternative. Now _Kristoff_ was the one holding onto Hans's waist rather tightly, because he didn't trust horses even half as much as he trusted reindeer.  
  
Anna grinned at him all the way home.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	9. The Frozen Adventure, part one

\---------  
  
_“Sure, it's nice to open a gift that's tied up with a perfect bow.  
  
“But the greatest present of all was given to me long ago.”  
  
“It's something I would never trade. It's the family that we've made.”_  
  
\---------  
  
Winter- _true_ winter had returned to Arendelle in full force. This time, the people were prepared. This time, they were happy to see snow fall. Far from the unforgiving blizzard of July as one could get, this winter was pleasant and welcome.  
  
Children had been having snowball fights for weeks now; they weren't the only ones. Hans couldn't even begin to count the amount of times Anna had pelted Kristoff and himself with a perfect orb of white. What he _could_ count was the amount of times she'd dropped snow down the back of his shirt, which was a grandtotal of six in the past two weeks. Regardless, it would always signal the start of another 'snow war'. Most of the time, it was every man or woman for themselves and Kristoff would defeat the both of them with ease. Sometimes, Olaf would join the fray and create such pandemonium that _everyone_ came out a loser. Then there were the rare times where Elsa would integrate herself into the battle and they would all have to team up, for no one had ever defeated the Snow Queen in a snowball fight.  
  
Today held no time for games, though. The 24th of December had arrived and the entire kingdom was buzzing with the spirit of the season. Hans could see it all around him, from the many decorations around the castle to the surplus of food at the marketplace, to the wide smile on every single face he passed. It was going to be his first Christmas in Arendelle. His first Christmas with friends and loved ones. In a way, it'd be his first real Christmas _ever_.  
  
But not just yet. Every single servant inside the castle was now busy preparing for the surprise party that Anna and Elsa had planned. Anyone from the kingdom would be allowed to celebrate the Christmas season in a manner befitting royalty. A kinder gesture, Hans was sure he'd never see outside Arendelle. The trouble was, with so many people bustling through the halls, each with their own task to do, he felt he would only get in the way. Taking a walk through the city would be a better way for him to spend his time until the ceremony began.  
  
Stepping into the courtyard and offering a polite nod of the head to as many of the occupied staff as possible, he didn't realize he'd overlooked someone until a voice called out to him with mocked indignation.  
  
“Oh, what, no “good morning”? No “merry almost-Christmas”? I see how it is.”  
  
Hans slowed to a stop and turned towards the fountain on his right to witness a sight of familiarity shrouded in foreign attire. “ _Kristoff_?” he asked in disbelief, because for a moment, it felt like he were looking at some sort of doppelganger. One who had no idea what Kristoff's tastes were.  
  
Gone were the strips of leather and fur, as well as the pointy boots and the clumsily mended layer of wool. Instead, he was wearing clothes of much higher quality. A light blue jacket fell neatly over a waistcoat of a darker color, which had shiny gold buttons dotted all down the front. His pants stopped just below the knees, revealing long white socks beneath. His black, lacquered and buckled shoes in particular stood out like a sore thumb. Kristoff was even wearing a bowtie and white gloves, the palms of which were already stained with grime. Hans wouldn't have expected any different.  
  
“You look like you've just seen the dead rise from the grave,” Kristoff replied, a mischievous grin on his face.  
  
“It certainly feels a bit like that,” Hans admitted with a smile of his own. “Though if that's the case, you rose from your grave with exceptional style. Good morning, indeed.”  
  
“Well, I'm glad _someone_ likes it.”  
  
“Have you heard otherwise?”  
  
“No, I just... Ugh, it itches. And my legs are cold. And this tie is so tight...” Kristoff reflexively tugged at it to ease the strain on his throat. “I can't wait for this ceremony to be over so I can change back into _normal_ clothes.”  
  
“Some would argue _these_ are the normal clothes,” Hans pointed out.  
  
“Not for me. And here, check this out.”  
  
Kristoff took hold of a hat, which had been lying so abandoned on the fountain's wall that Hans hadn't even noticed it. A moment of hesitation, then he placed it atop his head, completing the image of a man who absolutely did not look comfortable to be himself in that very moment. Hans had to stifle a snort, but his amusement had very much been noticed.  
  
“ _See_? Ridiculous!” Kristoff immediately removed the hat again, his cheeks flushed from more than just the cold. “And what good does this even do? It doesn't warm the ears or anything!”  
  
“It _does_ do some good. I think you look very classy,” Hans said, and he meant it. Different looks weren't necessarily a bad thing. He himself was wearing something very similar to what he'd usually wear, the only real change based in the color scheme. Blue was the theme for this Christmas party.  
  
Kristoff managed somewhat of a smile. “ _Classy_? Right... Because _that's_ a word I've always wanted someone to use for me.”  
  
Hans took the hat from Kristoff's hand, twirled it around between his fingers to admire the detail, then forcefully put it back on its owner's head. “I'm about to take a quick stroll to get away from all these hectics. Will you join me?”  
  
“Can't,” Kristoff replied, awkwardly shifting the hat's position on his head with both hands. “I've got to head over to the blacksmith's to fetch the jule bell. I've been given the additional title of Arendelle's Jule Bell Master and Deliverer, which I'm pretty sure is not a real thing either.”  
  
Hans grinned. He saw an opportunity and he had to take it. “But it's got a good _ring_ to it.”  
  
“Ha ha. Always the kidder,” Kristoff said dryly, though the corners of his mouth had definitely twitched. “Sure, it sounds good, but I've got to parade that thing up to the bell tower in front of _everybody_. I'm just waiting for Sven to bring the ceremonial cart round so we can get going.”  
  
“No wonder Anna and Elsa dressed you up so nice.”  
  
“Yeeeah... Yeah.”  
  
A jingling sound was heard and soon after, Sven rounded a nearby corner. A small sled decorated with julebukk, snowflakes and other seasonal images was being tugged along behind him. Much like Kristoff, he looked far tidier than usual, his fur brushed and his back covered with an ornate blue blanket. There were some small bells woven between his antlers with the aid of blue string. _Unlike_ Kristoff, Sven actually appeared quite proud of his appearance.  
  
“Sven! Looking good!” Hans said to him, raising a hand to pet the side of the reindeer's head. As always, that was appreciated.  
  
“Don't. You'll put ideas into his head and I don't have the time to brush the knots out of his fur every single day,” Kristoff said with a sigh.  
  
“ _But it feels so goood_ ” Sven 'replied', and on cue, he pressed his snout up against Kristoff's arm.  
  
“... Well. Maybe once a month.”  
  
Hans was about to say that he would be happy to help, but the words never left his mouth. He saw something move from the corner of his eye and not even a second later, something came jumping out the back of the sled with an obscenely loud, high-pitched noise.  
  
“ _SURPRIIIIIIISEEE_!!!”  
  
Hans started so badly that he screamed and jumped away from the sled. In doing so, he collided with Kristoff's chest. In the haze of the moment, he was pretty sure he'd stepped on the man's foot, too. Either way, a pair of hands grabbed him by the arms and positioned him a step forward so that he was no longer invading personal space.  
  
“ _Not yet_ , Olaf,” he heard Kristoff say behind him.  
  
Now properly deciphering what his eyes were seeing, Hans felt himself relax again. Indeed, Olaf was standing before them, arms still raised and expression moving from giddy delight into disappointment. “Awwww! I really thought I had it this time! There's a jule bell cart and jingly bells and everything!” the snowman proclaimed.  
  
Embarrassment drowned out by amusement, Hans began to laugh. This wasn't the first time Olaf had 'surprised' him over the past two days. Ever since learning of the party, their snowy friend had been jumping out of the most unexpected places, scaring half the castle staff silly. No one truly _minded_ , though a plate or two had been broken by accident.  
  
“Don't worry about it, Olaf. You really got me good this time,” Hans said with a chuckle.  
  
“I did? Really?” Olaf asked, back to hopeful optimism.  
  
“You sure did! How about you go back into the castle and try to surprise Anna again? I think she might be ready for you now and I saw some wonderful kransekake you can hide in.”  
  
“Oooh, I _will_! Thanks Haaans!”  
  
Olaf darted into the castle and Hans turned his head just in time to see a raised eyebrow on Kristoff's face, along with a crooked grin. “... What?” Hans asked.  
  
“Nothing. I used to think you were the sweetest, most harmless guy alive, but now I see you're _far_ more diabolical than I gave you credit for.”  
  
\---------  
  
“Oh, so the _surprise_ is everyone left.”  
  
Kristoff was unsure how to feel as he watched the people of Arendelle swarm back into the city, leaving the castle behind. It was clear that with everyone's own seasonal traditions, no one had time to spare for the party that'd taken so much time to prepare. It was great that he wouldn't have to keep up appearances in front of strangers and he could change into something more comfortable now, but... All that talk of tradition reminded him of what _he'd_ usually be doing at this time of year.  
  
He couldn't imagine how disappointed Anna and the others were, either. All the effort that'd gone into a spectacular feast with spectacular decorations... Everyone had really been looking forward to it.  
  
So he swallowed thickly and tried to look on the bright side of things. “Hey, I say it's their loss. Who needs a big party anyway? Now we can have a _modest_ party with just us.”  
  
“Ah. Right. It's an awful shame to waste all that food, but the less people there are, the more we can focus on each other,” Hans chimed in.  
  
“But _Kristoff_...” Olaf waddled right up to him, inquisitive eyes just about boring a hole into his own. “Don't _you_ have any family traditions to abandon us for?”  
  
Kristoff flinched so badly he might've sprained a muscle or two. “Uhhh. No. Well, not anymore. There was a _troll_ thing that I used to do back in December, but... You know.”  
  
“Did it involve throwing people off cliffs?” Anna asked, still every bit as spiteful towards the trolls as she had been months ago.  
  
“No, no...”  
  
“Tell me more!” Olaf insisted, tugging at one of the tassels attached to the leg of Kristoff's pants.  
  
“It's not that interesting, really. We just celebrated Flemmingrad with a song and a- a special stew. And we'd lick a statue's forehead and stuff a handful of grass up its-” Kristoff stopped talking when he saw horrified expressions all around. “ _Nostrils_. Up the statue's _nostrils_ ,” he said loudly, a bit frustrated they would come to the wrong conclusion so fast.  
  
“That sounds like a troll thing, alright,” said Anna.  
  
Her attitude was understandable, but all that animosity and doubt aside, Kristoff couldn't help but remember the great times he'd had. How the trolls would dance around the mold of Flemmingrad to the music he'd played on his lute, how Pebble had once gotten his hand stuck up the statue's nostril, how they'd all make a wish they were supposed to keep to themselves, only for them to say it out loud anyway... Bulda had wished for Kristoff's happiness more than once. She'd smiled so brightly while telling him that, too.  
  
“So Flemmingrad is a twisted, statue-y version of Christmas?” Olaf asked, which snapped Kristoff right out of his memories again.  
  
“What? No, Flemmingrad is the name of an ancient fungus troll. Legend has it he was the biggest, roundest troll who ever lived. He was so big that when a bunch of humans came to hunt the trolls down, he got stuck in a mountain pass. Because of that, he didn't make it out alive. I never really got exactly _how_ he died. The song just says that the humans pulled out their swords and Flemmingrad 'blended right into the fjord'.”  
  
“He _blended_ into the _fjord_?” Anna's gaze moved from the towering Northern mountains towards where the coastline would begin.  
  
“Yeah, I... I don't know either. I never really questioned it,” Kristoff admitted shamefully.  
  
“That's strange, though.” Elsa put a hand to her chin, frowning. “I never knew the trolls were hunted by humans in the past.”  
  
“There was probably a good reason for it, too,” said Anna.  
  
A tense silence followed, broken only when Hans cleared his throat and suggested they all go back inside. Sven tried to follow, only to be told to return to the stables. One day, hopefully, he'd be allowed inside the castle, but Kai needed more time to warm up to that idea. If there was anything Kristoff had learned over the past few months, it was that Kai was as much a ruler of the castle as Elsa was.  
  
As soon as they stepped through the doors, they were reminded of what _could've_ been, the smell of the banquet wafting through the halls. They entered the ballroom and Kristoff took in their would-be party, attended not even by the staff. It kind of stung that everyone had 'better things to do'.  
  
Olaf chuckled to himself and turned to the two sisters. “I can't wait!” he told them.  
  
“For what, Olaf?” Elsa asked him.  
  
“For your family tradition! What is it? Tell me, tell me, _tell me_!”  
  
But neither sister looked excited at the prospect. Elsa became downcast and Anna glanced all around the room before facing her. “Do we _have_ any traditions, Elsa? Do you remember?”  
  
“Well, I remember...” Elsa looked up at a portrait of their family that must've been fifteen years old by now. Then she strode over to a frost-covered window to peer outside. “We would gather in the courtyard and they would ring the bell. We could hear it chime all the way through Arendelle. We would... ring in the season.”  
  
Anna stood still for a moment, then joined her sister by the window. “But the jule bell was for the _kingdom_. What about _us_?”  
  
“... After the gates were closed, we were never together.” Elsa heaved a deep sigh and suddenly turned away, striding towards the door with every intent of leaving the room. She paused in the doorway just long enough to say: “I'm sorry, Anna. It's _my_ fault we don't have a family tradition.”  
  
“Wait! _Elsa_...!” Anna called, but by the time she reached the door, it was shut in her face.  
  
Kristoff drew in a deep breath through his teeth and saw Hans scuffing one of his feet along the floor. When Anna turned to face them again, her head was hung low. Neither of them really knew what to say to her and even Olaf was quiet- only for a moment, though.  
  
“I've got it!” the snowman called. “Hans will be part of the family, right? That means you can have some of _his_ family's traditions!”  
  
“Oh, I don't... know about that,” Hans said so very slowly, Kristoff now became sure that everyone here in the room had soured memories of 'that time of year'.  
  
“Sure you do! Go on, tell us about Christmas in the Southern Isles!” Olaf insisted.  
  
With both Anna and Olaf looking Hans's way, Kristoff decided to follow their lead. The prince made a very uncomfortable face and ran a hand past the back of his head. “Well, we would have a formal dinner with the entire family. Everyone was expected to be there and behave, ah, in the manner expected of royalty, so I wouldn't exactly call it a party. I wouldn't say it was brimming with seasonal cheer, either.”  
  
“Oh...” Olaf was disappointed for a few seconds, then tried again. “What about _gifts_? Did you get gifts?”  
  
“Hah. Yes, but at least one of my brothers would give me a scorpion they'd found on the beach, or a rat or some other foul... thing,” Hans said with a strained smile. Kristoff felt sorry for him all over again.  
  
Anna was instantly on the offensive, taking the words as if _she_ were the one who'd just found something gross mixed into her gifts. “What?! That's _terrible_! And _dangerous_! What if you'd gotten stung or- or _bitten_?!”  
  
“No, well, you have to bear in mind... These animals had been stuffed into a box, which was then covered with wrapping paper, so by the time I got around to opening my gifts, they weren't necessarily... Um. _Alive_ anymore.”  
  
Anna's jaw dropped. Kristoff felt his appetite leave his body, just like that. Olaf frowned, then continued the conversation with his usual misplaced cheer. “So we just have to find a bunch of scorpions for the Christmas tradition! That'll be _easy_! … Wait, do scorpions live in Arendelle? Maybe I'm thinking of _crabs_. Can we get you a dead crab, Hans?”  
  
“No _crabs_ , Olaf!” Kristoff snapped, getting quite fed up with the way this conversation was going, as well as the grief it was causing. He saw Olaf open his mouth, so he answered the little guy before his question could even be asked. “-Or any _other_ animals! Clearly, Southern Isles traditions stink and we're better off without them.”  
  
“So you're saying we should have a Christmas with _no_ traditions? Is that how it works?” Olaf asked him.  
  
Kristoff didn't have an answer to that. He didn't have much experience with Christmas to begin with. All he knew was that if it made his friends miserable, they shouldn't be wasting their time on it. Not when they were in a room full of good food and beautiful decorations.  
  
“I'm sorry, I... I just need to be alone for a bit.” Anna shot them all an apologetic smile, then turned to leave.  
  
“Anna...” Kristoff said, and by his side, he heard Hans say the exact same thing at the exact same time.  
  
“I'm fine, really!” she insisted. “I'll see you later. Have some of the food, alright? Take anything you want. There's more than enough to choose from.” With that, she departed from the room.  
  
“More than enough to _choose_ from...!” Olaf gasped, then sped out the other door, towards the courtyard.  
  
Now Hans and Kristoff were left as the only attendees to the surprise party which had taken so long to plan. Since it'd been suggested, Kristoff picked up a whole loaf of bread and took a bite from it. He still wasn't hungry, but damn if it didn't taste good. Hans, meanwhile, had gotten his hands on a small, pink marzipan pig. Figured he'd go straight for the sweets.  
  
“... Suddenly, that Flemmingrad thing doesn't sound half bad anymore,” Hans said quietly.  
  
“It _wasn't_ bad. I used to love it, but nothing sours a family holiday quite like seeing their true colors.”  
  
“Hmm...” Hans bit the head off his marzipan pig, looking like he was mulling something over. Then, finally, he asked: “What was that you were saying about a stew?”  
  
“ _Flemmy_ stew. I made it every year. You had to take some mushrooms off the statue and let them simmer for a few hours in a mossy broth with some other stuff. It was delicious. Took up most of my day, too.” Kristoff sighed and stared wistfully out the window, towards the dreary gray sky.  
  
“If you enjoyed it, you should just make a different stew. Something to represent your fresh start. If it's any good, you'll have a _new_ tradition.”  
  
“Huh... You might be on to something.”  
  
“You can call it a Christmas stew- No, wait... A _Krist_...mas stew!”  
  
Hans looked so proud of that joke, Kristoff couldn't even bring himself to call him out on how bad it was.  
  
\---------  
  
The sun was beginning to set and Anna had been gone for hours now, just like her sister. Hans didn't know where they'd gone and after the afternoon's debacle, he felt it was best to leave them be. They would find a way to reconnect again, just as they always did, and they would do it without any assistance.  
  
Sven was gone, he'd noted vaguely. Kristoff didn't seem too bothered by it, though. Maybe Sven had his own Christmas traditions. Maybe he had a reindeer family out there that they didn't know about. Or maybe he was off on some whirlwind adventure. Either way, it meant Kristoff would've been going about the rest of his day alone if Hans weren't here. Now, with everyone else celebrating the season in their own way, Hans was spending his time in the stables with the only other person who still needed company.  
  
Kristoff had changed into more comfortable clothes, just as he'd so adamantly proclaimed he would. While Hans still stood by the thought that the formal attire had looked just fine on his friend, there was something to be said about the familiar leather and furs. It added to Kristoff's unique charm. As for Hans himself, he hadn't done much more than remove his gloves and open the top button of his shirt. It was about as casual as he could get in good conscience, because any moment now, Anna could come walking through that door to demand proper Christmas celebrations.  
  
For now, he was content with this seat atop a few bales of straw. From there, he could watch Kristoff work in his makeshift kitchen. Kristmas stew attempt number four was being scooped into a bowl, the first three already dismissed as failures and fed to the pigs. Hans hadn't minded them at all, but he'd come to find that Kristoff was extremely critical of his own cooking. That was ironic in its own way; Hans could barely cook at all. Having lived nearly every day of his life with someone to prepare his meals _for_ him, he was sure touching a stove might somehow lead to the death of him.  
  
“Alright, I think the extra potato will do it,” Kristoff was saying as he emptied the ladle into the bowl one last time. He handed the stew to Hans with a very intense expression on his face.  
  
“I have every bit of faith in it,” Hans replied as he took the bowl.  
  
It wasn't that he was tired of taste testing. Not at all. He was, however, eager for Kristoff to finally accept the compliment that his stew couldn't improve. Not only that; Hans was beginning to get rather hungry and he would prefer to eat more than a single bite this time. He raised the spoon to his mouth and as he did so, reflexively held the bowl closer to his chest so that Kristoff couldn't take it away too easily.  
  
This was a losing battle. Kristoff inched closer, his eyes on Hans's face and one hand already moving into prime snatching position. “... Well? Is it worse now?”  
  
“It's not worse at all,” Hans said, moving himself towards the edge of the straw bales and away from Kristoff. “I really like it. It's a fine Kristmas stew.”  
  
“It needs more mushroom, doesn't it? Or is there too much potato now? Give it here, I'll try again.”  
  
“No no no! I'm finishing it and you can't stop me!” Hans leaped to his feet and hastily shoveled another spoonful of stew into his mouth.  
  
“It's not good enough! Give it here!”  
  
“I said no!”  
  
“ _Hans_!”  
  
Kristoff made a more violent snatch for the bowl, forcing Hans to twirl around on his heel to avoid his hand. With no other options left to him, Hans jumped up onto the hayloft's ladder and attempted to climb it. Doing that with only one free hand proved difficult, leaving him stranded halfway up. Now diplomacy was his last option to turn to.  
  
“It's a perfectly good stew, Kristoff. Why do you refuse to accept that?” he asked.  
  
“Because it took me _years_ to perfect the Flemmy stew!” was Kristoff's immediate, powerful reply. Once those words had left him, he lost some of his fire and simmered down again. His gaze shot towards the floor as he continued. “... Everyone loved it. But now I can't... I can't rely on that anymore. I need to make something even better.”  
  
Hans hesitated for a moment, then carefully lowered himself from the ladder again. “I'm sure your Flemmy stew was loved because it was made by _you_. It's for that same reason that Anna, Elsa, Sven and I will love your _new_ stew.”  
  
“... Really?”  
  
“Really. I know for a fact that I love this one, so please let me finish it. If you take another bowl from me, I may go mad.”  
  
Kristoff blinked, looking lost in disbelief. Then his composure broke and he chuckled softly. “Well, I would hate to see you mad on Christmas. Fine, you can finish it.”  
  
“Thank you."  
  
He smiled and sat himself down again, but just as he dipped the spoon into the stew a third time, the sound of hoofbeats drew ever closer. Not even five seconds later, a blur of brown fur came sliding into the stable at full speed. It collided with the far wall and for a few seconds just sat there, dumbfounded.  
  
"Hello Sven," Hans said cheerfully.  
  
“Hey buddy, great timing!” Kristoff grabbed a second bowl, grinning widely. “The new Kristmas stew has just been approved, so you get to have the next sample.”  
  
“ _Oh Kristoff, you're so thoughtful_!” he said in Sven's 'voice'.  
  
Trouble was, for the first time in all the months Hans had witnessed this quirk, the interpretation of Sven's words didn't seem to match at all. The reindeer appeared quite restless, cooing and grunting, nudging Kristoff in the arm with his head and then pacing around the stable again. Hans thought it was strange behavior, even for an animal that was hungry. Trouble was, Kristoff wasn't seeing it. Instead, he was filling up the bowl and tossing in some additional slices of carrot.  
  
“Now, now. Just give me a second, buddy. Alright, here you go.”  
  
As soon as the bowl was held out, Sven looked about as far from happy with it as possible. He snatched a whole carrot up from the workstation with his teeth and spat it into the stew. That was even _stranger_ in Hans's eyes.  
  
“Oh, of course,” Kristoff said. “ _Needs more carrots_. Can't get enough of 'em, can ya? I usually wouldn't toss in this many, but I'll make an exception just for you.”  
  
A few more slices were dropped in, but that still wasn't the end of it. Sven pulled the carrot back out the stew and instead of eating it, held it atop his snout like a second nose. Next thing either of them knew, Sven was jumping behind a haystack, waddling and howling and doing everything a reindeer would usually never do. Hans frowned and, for the briefest of moments, considered some version of rabies. Then he shook that terrifying notion off and looked to Kristoff, whose face had gone so blank that it was clear he had even _less_ answers.  
  
“Uuuuhhhh...” was about the only sound Kristoff could make in reply to the odd display.  
  
Luckily, a duo of familiar voices supplied the explanation for them.  
  
“Oh no, Olaf's lost in the forest?”  
  
“And being chased by hungry _wolves_?”  
  
Hans turned this head to see Anna, Elsa and Kai standing just outside the stable's doorway. First, he wondered when they had gotten here. After that, the meaning of their words got through to him. Olaf was in trouble?! He looked to Sven for confirmation and saw the reindeer nodding in an excited, _relieved_ manner.  
  
“... Yeah. Obviously,” said Kristoff hastily.  
  
“That is... what he was trying to tell us,” Hans chimed in, though he was aware it sounded more like a question than a statement. He quickly set his bowl of stew aside and got to his feet.  
  
“Ring the bell. Gather everyone,” Anna declared.  
  
The two sisters and Kai whirled around to hurry back into the courtyard, but Hans dashed after them with Kristoff in hot pursuit. “Hold on, where are you going?” he asked.  
  
“The forest is far too large to search with just a handful of people,” Anna replied, not slowing her pace in the least. “We need to ask as many people from Arendelle as possible for help so we can cover more ground.”  
  
Hans commended Anna for her quick thinking, and indeed, he wasn't afraid to say it. “That's a wonderful plan. However, informing everyone in the city of Olaf's fate will take time and I fear that if Olaf _is_ being chased by wolves, there isn't a second to spare.”  
  
“Then, what do you suggest?” Elsa asked and for a split second, he thought she was testing him. It wouldn't change anything if she _were_ , he supposed.  
  
“Well, _Sven_ knows where Olaf is, roughly. I'd suggest Kristoff and I go out there to get a head start on the search while you gather the villagers for assistance. We can bring a few men from the royal guard as well. Wolves often find their strength in numbers, so we ought to follow their example.”  
  
Elsa peered at him; not with scrutiny, but with something closer to understanding. Then she nodded. “Alright. Do what you must. We'll follow as soon as we can.”  
  
“Thank you,” Hans said, bowing his head lightly. Etiquette towards the queen was a trait he hadn't quite shaken yet, despite how many times he'd been told to relax.  
  
Anna walked up to him, pulling him into a tight embrace. “Be careful, Hans. I need you to come home safe,” she said. Then she pulled away with a warm smile. “You too, Kristoff.”  
  
Kristoff grinned in a bashful manner. “If that's your way of telling me to keep Hans out of trouble, don't worry about it. I've got you covered.”  
  
Anna laughed and even Elsa failed to hide her amusement. Then the two sisters were off, followed by their steward. Worry now spreading through his entire being, Hans began to make his way back to the stable to fetch his gloves. His gaze fell on the bowl of stew as he passed it, but not even dinner could take away any of their precious time now.  
  
“We'll have to head to the guards' chambers to see who's still on duty tonight. We can pick up my sword along the way; it's best to be armed,” he reasoned, his mind already jumping several steps ahead. “I'll need someone to saddle up Sitron and the other horses in the meantime. Have you seen Rolf today?”  
  
Kristoff began to march across the stable, towards the very back of it. “He's around, I think. And I don't know about those other horses, but don't worry about taking Sitron out. Sven's ready to go, so we'll just take myyyyy...” he trailed off awkwardly and slowed to a stop, staring into a far off corner.  
  
For a few seconds, there was nothing. Hans's attention moved from his friend's dawning apprehension to the way Sven was backing away. Something was very, very wrong here and it took a few seconds before Hans too noticed just what was amiss. It had been missing all day.  
  
Kristoff spun around on his heel again, directing a glare Sven's way. “ _Where_ is the sled?!”  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	10. The Frozen Adventure, part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone for all the kudos and comments I've been getting! I'm so glad a lot of folks are enjoying this story so far. But secondly, I wanted to give a warning that updates may be a bit slower from now on. Real life has gotten somewhat hectic lately, so I don't have the free time I need/want to devote to this fic. Don't worry though, I'll definitely keep updating! It just may not be once a week anymore.

\---------  
  
_“I would travel miles and miles and I would follow any star. I'd go almost any place, if it's any place you are.”_  
  
\---------  
  
The sled had been found. Sven had led them all the way to where he'd last seen Olaf, which was the top of a cliff past Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna. It became evident right away the little snowman was no longer anywhere in sight, because if he were, he would've approached them without wasting so much as five seconds. The sled, however, lay deep down at the _bottom_ of that cliff. From what Kristoff could tell, it was now nothing more than a distant, blackened hunk of wood. How it managed to catch fire out here in this freezing cold, he couldn't begin to imagine. So long as Olaf was involved, nothing was outside the realm of possibilities.  
  
He couldn't take it. The feeling of crushing disappointment, bordering on grief, was just too much.  
  
So now he kneeled at the edge of the cliff, his pants wet and legs numb from the snow, forlorn gaze caught on what was left of his precious sled. Sven sat right by his side, _waiting_ for him to respond beyond his speechless stupor. Trouble was, he couldn't speak. Not yet. He was aware that Hans was a short distance away, still seated atop Sitron and holding a lantern to illuminate as much as he could. Three men from the royal guard were with him, each on horseback. They were probably waiting for Kristoff to pull himself together too.  
  
“... It wasn't even half a year old...” he ultimately whimpered.  
  
“I'm sorry, Kristoff,” he heard Hans say. “But I'm sure Anna and Elsa will replace it for you. In fact, they'll surely get you a sled that's even _nicer_ than this one was.”  
  
“But this one was already... puh- _perfect_...!”  
  
Hans said nothing. Of course he wouldn't. What was even left to say?  
  
Kristoff grabbed his own lantern and pushed himself to his feet again, his body protesting all the way, then turned his back on the sled with even _more_ difficulty. “... Alright Sven. Which way did Olaf go from here? Did you see?”  
  
Hoping beyond all hope that Sven would indicate open space, the reindeer instead turned to peer towards dark, overgrown forest. Hans held up his lantern to try and shed some more light onto the path, but it did them no good. Anything more than a few steps in remained pitch black.  
  
“ _Of course_ Olaf would take the spooky, impossible to navigate _death trap_ shortcut. _Of course_...!” Kristoff howled.  
  
Hans turned Sitron around to face the forest completely and while the horse looked awful apprehensive, he did as he was told. “We'll have to hurry,” Hans said. “He's an easy target for wolves in there.”  
  
“So are we,” Kristoff pointed out. Even so, he clambered onto Sven's back again. Hans would go in there for sure and there was no way Kristoff would let him go with just some royal guard flunkies.  
  
Into the spooky forest they went. A chill hung in the air and snow crunched beneath hooves, along with twigs. It was difficult to believe that only an hour ago, they were still enjoying Christmas in the cheery warmth of Arendelle. What had Olaf even been doing out here? Kristoff just couldn't grasp it. Hans, who was leading the group, spotted wolf tracks and tried to follow. Sadly, not even five minutes later, the path split into two and the snow was so disrupted that they could no longer tell which direction the wolves had gone.  
  
“We'll have to split up,” one of the royal guard said. “Prince Hans, you ought to stick with Edvard and myself. Gregers will watch over your friend.”  
  
“Actually, I think I'd rather stick with Kristoff,” Hans replied in a rather airy, as-a-matter-of-fact sort of way. Kristoff had no idea why he _would_ , short of some sort of winter madness.  
  
Apparently, the guard shared those skeptical sentiments, as all three of them began to object at the same time. The main question derived from these objections was “ _why_?”  
  
“Kristoff knows these woods like the back of his hand. I trust his expertise.” Hans shot a smile Kristoff's way before continuing in his more authoritative tone of voice. “We'll take Gregers with us for additional force. Niklas, you and Edvard can go left, we'll go right.”  
  
Somehow, that reasoning was good enough for the three soldiers. It seemed like while Hans trusted Kristoff's expertise, the royal guard trusted _Hans's_ judgment. Considering those same men would barely throw Kristoff a second glance, it was oddly hurtful somehow. He didn't know what else he was expecting, though. Hans was a born and bred prince, while Kristoff was just some smelly weirdo who was only kept around the castle because Anna liked him.  
  
Onward they went, now minus two of their group and their lanterns still failing to properly illuminate what lay ahead. The path was becoming more and more overgrown, forcing Kristoff and his fellows to push some foliage aside for a clearer path. At one point, a branch released by Gregers almost hit Kristoff in the face.  
  
“... Do you think Olaf's alright?” Hans asked after a while.  
  
“I'm sure he's fine,” Kristoff replied. “He falls apart all the time, remember? I don't think there's much a bunch of wolves could do to him, aside from maybe steal one of his arms.”  
  
“But that's terrible! What if he _needs_ those particular arms? Or could he just use any old stick as a replacement?”  
  
“I uh... I try not to think about it too much.”  
  
“Oh...”  
  
“Anyway, I'm not sure why wolves would be interested in him to begin with. He's still just a mound of snow, so unless he had food with him...”  
  
Sven made a loud, hesitant grunting sound.  
  
“Alright, yes, apparently he _did_ have food with him,” Kristoff deduced.  
  
“We'd better find him. Fast.”  
  
They walked and walked until a very particular sound reached Kristoff's ears. Distant rustles and crunches, like something moving through snow. Sven came to an immediate halt; he must've heard it as well.  
  
“Stop,” he said to the others. “Something's wrong.”  
  
Hans did as he was told. Gregers did not. He allowed his horse to take quite a few more steps before turning, impatient. “We don't have any more time to waste. Olaf may be just ahead.”  
  
“I don't think that's Olaf.”  
  
“What are you...?”  
  
There was no opportunity to question any more. Several shadows began to prowl out of the bushes ahead, sneaking up behind Gregers and blocking their path. Kristoff saw disgusting, matted fur and the glint of eyes.  
  
“ _Wolves_ ,” he heard Hans gasp.  
  
“Turn back! _Run_!” Kristoff yelled, as he already knew they couldn't win in a fight. Not when there were only three of them, one without a weapon. Wolves were some of the most ferocious, _cheating_ predators out there. They wouldn't think twice about sinking their jaws into a person's neck and their buddies would be only too happy to help corner a target.  
  
Their only chance was to lose them in the woods.  
  
They dashed back down the path they'd come from, cold wind lashing at Kristoff's face with such force, it forced him to flinch and squint. Pounding behind him confirmed that Hans and Gregers were following, though a dismayed shout from the royal guard suggested that he was pretty far behind. “Aaaugh, I should've brought my _crossbow_!” the man was yelling.  
  
Irritated, Kristoff looked over his shoulder to see the wolves were right on the heels of Gregers' horse, trying to snap at the poor animal's ankles. He considered slowing Sven down to help, but Hans was right behind him and any attempt to stop would put them all in danger.  
  
“You _knew_ what we were up against!” he yelled at the guard. “Now watch your flank already!”  
  
“Don't tell me what to do!”  
  
“Are you stupid?! If they get your horse, you're-”  
  
“Kristoff, _look out_!”  
  
Hans's shout, along with his terrified expression were about the last thing Kristoff registered before he received a sharp blow to the side of his head. Disoriented and in a whole world of hurt, he was only vaguely aware that he must've fallen off of Sven, as his backside collided with cold, hard ground. He couldn't see. He didn't quite know what was going on. He could only guess that he'd blacked out to some degree, because the next thing his brain _really_ managed to process was that there was noise all around him.  
  
Someone was shouting. Growling and yelping echoed through his mind. That wasn't his average awakening. Wasn't he in danger?  
  
Fearful, he sat up and opened his eyes to see a wolf leaping directly at him. Its jaws were open, teeth poised to tear into whatever bit of Kristoff they could get. There was a split second where he knew he was going to die, as his body was frozen stiff and made him easy prey. Then that split second passed and the blade of a sword sank into the wolf's neck. The animal fell right before Kristoff's feet. Red flecks stained the snow all around it. Breath caught in the back of his throat, Kristoff tore his gaze away from the wolf and looked up at his savior.  
  
There was a fury on Hans's face unlike anything he'd ever witnessed before. Jaws grit, brows furrowed and nose crinkled, it was as if ending the wolf's life still wasn't enough to sate him. The sword remained where it was, pinned down with both hands clenching the grip, and time seemed to stand still in that one terrible image. Out of nowhere, Grand Pabbie's words echoed through Kristoff's head.  
  
“ _Hans holds darkness- both inside his head and his heart. We saw it as we were tweaking his memories. That sort of thing could still set him on the wrong path._ ”  
  
Now feeling as if he was suffocating, Kristoff released the breath he'd been holding and surveyed the rest of their surroundings. Another wolf lay dead not too far away. Sven was fighting off a third one, attempting to use his antlers to toss the creature into the air. Gregers had dismounted too, his sword taking a few swipes at yet another wolf. The horses were backing themselves to safety, though Sitron made sure to kick at any approaching threat.  
  
Everyone except Kristoff was fighting.  
  
Their numbers now dwindled and their attacks being countered, the few remaining wolves must've realized retreat was the best option for them. There was a single howl from one of them, then they all darted back into the undergrowth.  
  
Finally, Hans rose to his feet and pulled the blade from the wolf's neck. Kristoff's eyes were instinctively drawn to the blood which covered it and he felt himself grow queasy. As luck would have it, the sword was sheathed quite fast. Hans turned to face him, his expression now so worried it was difficult to imagine he'd looked anything else. Maybe Kristoff had imagined it?  
  
“Are... Are you alright?” Hans asked, his voice shaking and his breath showing itself in the form of irregular tufts of mist.  
  
Kristoff blinked and raised a hand to his head, which was still aching. “What happened?”  
  
“You got hit by a branch. It knocked you right out.” Hans pointed upwards, where a low-hanging limb was indeed being a burden by growing its way across the path. Kristoff vaguely remembered ducking to avoid it earlier, when they were still moving the other way.  
  
“Oof...”  
  
“That's what you get for not looking where you're going,” Gregers remarked coldly. He was walking over to his horse to take the reins.  
  
“The only reason I wasn't looking was because I was keeping an eye on _you_ ,” Kristoff huffed in turn. He reached for his lantern, which had landed in the snow by his side and lost its flame as a result. That was just great.  
  
Hans shook his head, then leaned forward and held out a hand to Kristoff. “Here, let me help you,” he said quietly.  
  
There was hesitation, but only for a brief moment. Hans's features were so very sincere in their mixture of apprehension and relief that Kristoff couldn't believe the thought of darkness had ever crossed his mind. Pabbie must've lied about it to plant distrust; just another manipulation tactic. He took Hans's hand and was pulled to his feet.  
  
As he peered into the prince's eyes, he realized that after all those times he'd saved Hans, this was the first time Hans had saved _him_. Somehow, he hadn't expected that to ever happen.  
  
“... Thanks,” he said awkwardly. Then he noticed he was still holding onto Hans's hand and released it.  
  
Hans made the oddest sound, somewhere between a chortle and a chuckle. “I'm glad you're alright.”  
  
Kristoff felt his face burn and wondered whether he was blushing. He didn't need to think about it for long, though; Sven's snout bumped up against his arm, a welcome distraction.  
  
“Hey buddy!” he wrapped both arms around Sven's neck to hug him. “That was some good fighting back there, but uh... Try not to challenge wolves again next time, alright?”  
  
“Don't be too hard on him. He was only doing it to keep you safe,” Hans pointed out.  
  
“Yeah, well... _Yeah_. Thanks, Sven.”  
  
A loud, cheerful grunt and another nudge, then Sven backed away. Kristoff patted his neck one last time, making sure there wasn't a single injury to be found on his friend. If Sven had gotten hurt to protect him, he'd never forgive himself.  
  
Gregers, now atop his horse again, strode past them. “Let's not dawdle here,” he said.  
  
Much as it made his stomach churn, Kristoff couldn't stop himself from throwing a glance at the dead wolves, then turned his attention to the path. Now that those beasts were out of the way, they could keep moving through the woods. Still, as he clambered onto Sven's back again, he entertained the idle thought that it was unfair. Those wolves had been _hungry_ and with a lot of animals hibernating at this time of year, food came rare. Had they really needed to die for that?  
  
\---------  
  
Olaf was safe and sound. Not to mention, _found_. Hans couldn't be more relieved. Hungry wolves were perhaps not the biggest of problems for a walking snowman, but he wasn't foolish enough to assume those were the only dangers out there. There was no telling just what sort of people might take a dubious interest in life rooted in magic.  
  
Needless to say, he had hugged Olaf quite a bit upon reuniting with him and while the resulting chill still lingered in his chest, it was worth it.  
  
With all the people of Arendelle gathered out in a clearing, the Christmas party had come out here as well. While at first they'd strolled closer to home, they'd stopped halfway there to celebrate. Now there was music, food, an ice skating rink... Lanterns had been strung up around an enormous, icy Christmas tree of Elsa's creation. A beautiful starry sky hung above them and despite the cold, it was certain most would be here until the early morning hours. It was as festive a mood as could be.  
  
Everyone had forgotten all about the remainder of their own traditions just to be in each other's company. Arendelle had a _new_ tradition now.  
  
Hans had spent some time dancing and skating with Anna, had laughed with Olaf over his attempt to gather up traditions from all over Arendelle for them, had convinced Elsa to try some more of the snacks and had been forced to tell other members of the royal guard about their encounter with the wolves. He didn't mean to brag, but for some reason, Gregers kept insisting that his performance was admirable.  
  
He managed to pry himself away from the group after so long, tired of being shoved into the center of attention when really, all he wanted to do was enjoy himself on the sidelines. At first he considered going up to where Sitron was stationed with a few other horses, away from the noise so they could graze in peace. He was distracted, though, when he spotted Kristoff sitting a short distance away from the hubbub, lounging up against Sven's side. Taking appropriate measures, Hans approached him with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and a third treat in his pocket.  
  
“Here. I thought you might want something to warm yourself,” he said, holding one mug out to Kristoff.  
  
“Oh. Thanks.” While the hot chocolate was accepted, it wasn't with quite as much cheer as Hans had hoped for. Kristoff held it with both hands, a frown directed towards the bobbing marshmallows. Was something bothering him?  
  
Hans pulled out the carrot he'd brought and handed it to Sven. It was accepted with a cheerful grunt and something that could only be described as a toothy, grateful grin. Following that, the carrot was sucked further into Sven's mouth, leading to the grand finale of a loud chewing sound.  
  
“... Mind if I join you?” he asked Kristoff.  
  
“Not at all.”  
  
Hans sat himself down and felt the snow tinge his pants. It was a good thing his clothes were somewhat weather-proof. He petted Sven's snout and took a sip from his own hot chocolate, which was not just that; it held a bit of a punch to it. He already knew Kristoff was not one for alcohol, though, which was why he'd given his friend the usual recipe.  
  
“How's your head?” he asked, because what with Kristoff's hat, it was impossible to tell anything.  
  
“... Sore. But it'll be fine,” was the mum response. It didn't seem like being reminded of the incident hit all the right tones and Hans regretted bringing it up.  
  
“Good. It's... good that you'll be fine.”  
  
Kristoff was still peering down into his hot chocolate when he changed the subject. “Shouldn't you be celebrating with your guard friends?”  
  
“... You think they're my friends?” Hans found himself somewhat astounded by the concept.  
  
“You think they're _not_?”  
  
“I don't know if you've noticed, but... Every single one of them still addresses me as “Prince Hans” or “Your Highness”...” He looked over at them, watching the way they interacted with one another. They were all so at ease with each other; so very different from how they were around _him_. “They bow their heads to me and do what I ask without question. That's not friendship. That's only... respect for my authority. Authority they could just as easily dismiss, as I have no real power here.”  
  
It was something that'd always been there in the back of his mind; a _line_ that the royal guard in particular had never crossed with him. The people of Arendelle were wonderful and welcoming, but they never _quite_ forgot Hans's title. A title which he might not even _have_ anymore, as he still hadn't heard from the Southern Isles since that visit in August. Perhaps his father had now dismissed him to the point where he might as well be dead.  
  
“I don't think they follow you because they feel you have authority over them,” Kristoff said quietly. “I think they do it because they have faith in your judgment. That's all a good leader needs, really.”  
  
Just like that, Hans remembered how Gregers had snapped at Kristoff and a bitter taste came to being in his mouth despite the hot chocolate. Was it worse to be looked down upon than it was to be put on a pedestal against one's will? Going by how his brothers had always treated him, he supposed it was.  
  
“I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful,” he mumbled.  
  
“Oh- No, that's not what I was saying!”  
  
“I know. _I'm_ saying it.”  
  
Kristoff sighed loudly and took a big gulp from his own mug. “Maybe they're not friends the way you and me are, but they accept you. That's good. It means they'll be only too happy to see you marry Anna.”  
  
It was not the turn Hans had expected this conversation to take. His fingers tensed around his mug and an uncomfortable feeling settled deep inside him. “But that's not...” He trailed off, trying to find just the right words to describe his sentiments. “... Not my intention.”  
  
“That's just how it is. You may think that true love will prevail, but the truth is that Anna is a princess who has to do right by her people. Even if she were to choose me, the rest of Arendelle would still choose _you_.”  
  
It was a concept that left Hans speechless. Was this why Kristoff had accused him of being naive, back when they'd agreed to keep their rivalry friendly? Did the royal guard's attitude prove as much? Had it been an act of condescension and _cruelty_ , then, to give Kristoff hope he already believed to be false?  
  
“I'm sorry,” he said. “... If it helps any, you might still have some sway. You are, after all, Arendelle's official Ice Master and Deliverer, as well as the official _Jule Bell_ Master and Deliverer.”  
  
“Those are still not real things,” Kristoff pointed out.  
  
“Anna and Elsa have decreed them to be real. Therefore, they _are_ real.”  
  
“Hah. Right...”  
  
“And aside from that,” Hans began with a sly smile. “You were right in pointing out that Anna is a princess. If she were to marry you, her people would have to support her decision and she could have anyone who speaks ill of you _beheaded_.”  
  
Kristoff was silent for about seven seconds and Hans wondered whether his joke had been taken seriously. Then there was a laugh and Kristoff elbowed him square in the chest, causing him to almost spill some of his hot chocolate. They both looked across the party, to where Anna was skating with her sister while Olaf twirled around them in a big circle.  
  
“Haha! Imagine that! Sweet, kind little Anna, beheading someone for my sake!” Kristoff said.  
  
“You know very well how fiercely protective she can be of her loved ones. So just promise me you'll attempt not to get...” Hans paused for dramatic effect. “... _A head_ of yourself.”  
  
Kristoff's body jerked with a sudden, violent surge of guffaws. Sven, meanwhile, produced a very loud bristling sound and pressed a sharp end of his antlers into Hans's shoulder blade. The mild pain was nothing compared to how proud Hans was of himself. Kristoff was always the more composed one, so it was nice to put a crack in that for once.  
  
“Th-That one was _awful_!” Kristoff cried out once he was able.  
  
“But it made you laugh.”  
  
“That doesn't make it any _less_ awful!”  
  
“I find the humor's all in the... _execution_.”  
  
“Stop, _stop_!”  
  
“It was only a harmless quip. No need to lose your head over it.”  
  
“ _Hans_! Don't _make_ me empty this hot chocolate over your head!”  
  
Now Hans was chuckling as well and it wasn't until a bit of time had passed that he realized he was instinctively hiding that amusement behind one hand. A situation like this could never have played out in the Southern Isles, where he would've been scolded for making light of a situation even while his brothers laughed openly behind his back. These weren't the Southern Isles, though, so he lowered his hand again and allowed anyone who wished to see it that he was sharing a joke with a friend.  
  
\---------  
  
What a party this turned out to be. Everyone was in such high spirits that if it were any other day, it'd be difficult for Kristoff not to follow their example. There was a hitch, though. Something that nagged in the back of his mind. It was his sled, he supposed. His beautiful, high quality new sled, which was now no longer a sled at all. It was nothing more than a pile of charred wood. He couldn't bring himself to be mad at Olaf about it, but damn if he wasn't still mourning the loss even now.  
  
Hans's company helped ease the pain, at least. It was nice to be distracted, even if it did come in the form of some very bad jokes.  
  
They sat there for what might've been close to an hour, doing nothing more than listening to the music and watching the people. A particularly good laugh was had when Oaken, still dressed in nothing more than a sauna towel, ice skated his way into Kai, who happened to be carrying several trays of food. This incident was what prompted Elsa to dissolve the ice skating rink again, as it'd gotten far too dark for such activities anyway. Now it'd been replaced with a perfectly non-slippery dance floor.  
  
This was where things got hairy. Anna came rushing towards them and while her cheeks were a bit flushed, she radiated just as much vigor as she had when the party started. How did she avoid becoming drained? Kristoff might never know.  
  
“ _There_ you are,” she said to the both of them. Then she held out a hand to Hans. “Shall we dance?”  
  
Fully expecting Hans to accept, Kristoff figured he would be spending the rest of the evening with Sven and considered already returning to the castle. It was getting kind of late anyway. Most of the citizens with kids and the elderly had gone back to town ages ago, leaving only a few dozen adults to party into the night. More and more alcohol was being pulled out into the open, too. Kristoff didn't need to be a part of that.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when Hans shook his head with a smile. “I'm sorry, I don't think I have enough energy left to dance. It's been a very long day,” the prince told Anna.  
  
“Oh... Are you sure? I can ask the band to play something very _loud_. And upbeat. That'll definitely keep you awake!”  
  
“It's not so much a matter of staying awake as it is of staying on my feet. It wouldn't be much of a dance if I keel over, now would it? But maybe _Kristoff_ still has some pep left in his step!”  
  
Two pairs of eyes turned to his way and instantly, Kristoff felt like a deer cornered by a group of hunters. He chuckled awkwardly and looked away. “Aha... _Nooo_... No. I don't dance.”  
  
“Seriously?” Anna raised an eyebrow, but even then, disappointment was written all over her face. “You don't need to worry about anyone thinking it's weird. Everyone's dancing with everyone, you know.”  
  
“I know, I just... I'm fine. Really, I'm good.”  
  
Anna looked as if she might object, but was never given the opportunity. A small group of dancers came up behind her and snatched her by the arms. She whooped, laughed and finally allowed herself to be pulled back towards the dance floor. There, she integrated seamlessly into the whole, with everyone moving in perfect harmony. It was impressive, in a weird sort of way, just how something as simple as dance could stand as a testament to community.  
  
“Are you sure you don't want to join in? You've been sitting here for a while already,” Hans said.  
  
“No, I... Well. Like I said, I don't dance. Not like that, anyway.”  
  
“Like _that_? … How else would you dance?”  
  
“Uh. Nevermind, forget it.”  
  
“How am I meant to forget something like that?” Hans leaned in a bit closer and quite frankly, it made Kristoff nervous.  
  
“I _can't_ dance, alright?” he admitted in a hushed whisper, if only to get Hans to back off. “Not like people do, in tune with each other and... You know. Gracefully.”  
  
Kristoff gazed towards the makeshift dance floor again, watching as couples hooked arms and twirled around one another. They were in unison. They knew which steps their partner would take. People like Hans probably took that for granted. Kristoff had never been taught any of those steps and so, he wouldn't know the first thing to do. Any dancing the trolls did was free, unhinged from one another. Completely unique improvisation.  
  
“Oooh! I can teach you,” Hans said, sounding quite excited at the concept.  
  
“Uhhh. I don't know if that's... a good idea.”  
  
“Not here, of course. Not _now_. I'll give you some private lessons, just as I'm teaching Anna to wield her sword. I'll show you everything you need to know so that at the next event, when someone invites you to dance, you can accept and join in on the fun!”  
  
Kristoff pulled his knees up to his chest, making a bit of a face. _Dancing_ lessons? With _Hans_? That just felt daunting, somehow. “No, uh... I'm fine, really. You don't need to go out of your way for me.”  
  
“But I _want_ to. And if you feel you need to return the favor, you can teach _me_ how to cook. That's a fair trade, don't you think?”  
  
“You want _cooking_ lessons?” Kristoff asked, now even more puzzled at Hans's line of thinking. “From _me_? Why... Why do you want to learn something like that?”  
  
“So that I can prepare a meal for you, to show my gratitude for teaching me how to cook,” Hans replied, shooting a wink his way. Something about that just made Kristoff even more uneasy. A moment of silence, and despite his bright smile, Hans's enthusiasm seemed to waver. “Either way, cooking just seems the sort of skill that everyone should master. You never learned how to do something as frivolous as dancing, but me? I was never taught some of the basics of life because, well, they felt I didn't _need_ to know.”  
  
Kristoff drew a deep breath and something inside him yelled that he was going to regret his decision. Even so, he said: “Alright. If you really want to learn, I'll teach you. But those dancing lessons-”  
  
“Will happen as well! I insist!” Hans drained his mug with one great swig, then got to his feet. “It's getting a bit chilly. We ought to go convince Anna to call it a night, don't you think?”  
  
“Ehhh. You go ahead.”  
  
Hans looked disappointed for a split second, then a mischievous smirk spread across his face and Kristoff braced himself for the following words. “I hope you'll... _beheading_ back to the castle shortly.”  
  
Nope, the bracing had not been enough. Kristoff snorted loudly and while he couldn't stop himself from grinning, he expressed his dismay all the same. “Booo! Go get some sleep, Hans. You obviously need it.”  
  
Hans only chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Kristoff sat himself back and felt quite content, up until he spotted something that soured the mood for him.  
  
There was a stain of blood on Hans's sleeve. It was just a natural consequence of a desire to protect Kristoff; he knew that. In a way, he supposed, it was his own fault that those wolves had to die. If he'd just paid more attention, he wouldn't have been knocked off Sven and they all would've had a chance to escape without confrontation. If it hadn't been for him, Hans wouldn't have had to draw his sword at all.  
  
So he sat back and watched his friend go. As soon as Anna was reached, a bright, welcoming smile became visible on her face. A smile matched by Hans himself. Arms were linked and the two of them walked off towards the castle together, Olaf in tow. Once again, Kristoff took note that that was how it was meant to be. Hans was the best match for Anna and Anna... well, she was the best match for Hans, wasn't she?  
  
Seconds turned to minutes. Something prickled the back of Kristoff's neck- a bad feeling. A chill. The sudden, strong conviction that he was being watched, and might have _been_ watched for a while already.  
  
Attempting to do this as nonchalantly as possible, so as not to draw attention to himself, he stretched out his arms and turned his head sideways. That way, he could see the nearby undergrowth from the corner of his eyes. There was a shimmer of small blue lights, just barely visible through the leaves.  
  
A _troll_.  
  
He sat up all the way, clapped a hand against Sven's shoulder and pushed himself to his feet. “Well, party's over, buddy. Let's go back home and get some sleep,” he said loudly. It was a _dare_. An urge for his follower to either come out into the open or else be left behind.  
  
The only one to respond was Sven, who rose up to his full height and waited patiently for Kristoff to take the first step. So he did.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	11. True Love

\---------

_“Everyone's a bit of a fixer-upper, but when push comes to shove... The only fixer-upper fixer that can fix up a fixer-upper is true, true, true, true, true, true love-”_

\---------

Dancing class was a sort of fresh hell. Kristoff had already dreaded it before he'd even set foot in a ballroom with Hans, but after several weeks of an occasional lesson, it was becoming a source of uneasy embarrassment. Hans made it all look like it was so simple, his movements nimble and graceful. Kristoff couldn't do anything more than clump around, his footsteps loud and arms either dangling awkwardly by his sides or being held in unnatural positions. He was sure he'd sprained a few muscles, too.

Hans kept telling him he was overthinking it; that he needed to relax more. That was easy for _him_ to say. Hans didn't have the build of a clunky, broad giant. He was slim, agile and trained to put that to good use.

Maybe it was too late for Kristoff to learn these things. Maybe, if he'd grown up with _people_ , he would've been taught gradually and he'd have mastered it by now. He'd been tempted to give up quite a few times by now, because if he hated this, why was he still doing it? Wasn't it just a spectacular waste of time and pride? No matter how many times he told himself those exact things, the determination to break that news to his teacher was shattered every single time he entered the ballroom and saw the enthusiasm on Hans's face. For some reason, the guy _really_ enjoyed teaching. Or maybe he enjoyed the challenge.

Kristoff was getting the raw end of a deal, though. Where he was very bad at dancing, Hans actually seemed decent at cooking. To say there was talent would've been an overstatement, but at the very least, Hans was good at following Kristoff's instructions and had enough common sense to trust his tastebuds. If it were _Anna_ taking cooking lessons, she would've undoubtedly tried to give her own spin on everything. As they hadn't _told_ Anna about these lessons with the intent of surprising her, they were in no danger of having to sample overseasoned or charred dishes.

Now it was nearing the end of January and Kristoff, still caught between a rock and a hard place, was sitting on the ballroom floor while Hans paced back and forth before him.

“Alright, so it's safe to conclude the quadrille is not your thing,” the prince was saying, and it was difficult to know whether he was truly addressing Kristoff or just voicing his thoughts out loud. “Jeté, chassé, croisé, entrechats... That's all too intricate. I still believe you could master the mazurka, but we'd need a bigger group to practice with to be certain.”

“Not gonna happen,” Kristoff said immediately. Embarrassing himself in front of just one person was already bad enough.

“Right, right... Group dancing is out. I suppose we'll just have to focus on something slower and simpler. I was learning about something from Poland known as kujawiak before Elsa's coronation, which I'm sure would've been perfect for you. It's all about calm dignity and simplicity. I'm afraid I never got around to practicing that, though.”

“Great. That means you might be just as bad at it as I am.”

“Somehow, it feels counterproductive to even _try_ , don't you agree?” Hans smiled down at him and not knowing how else to respond, Kristoff scoffed quietly. With that, the pacing was continued, along with the musing. “So we'd need something similar enough to kujawiak, which leaves... Hm. Well, this one is still a bit controversial.”

Controversial? A dance? Kristoff couldn't even imagine how something like that _would_ be. It was all about having fun, wasn't it? Then again, taking high society into consideration, they _would_ find something to judge in an innocent activity.

“What is?” he asked.

“The waltz. It's slow enough, it's got simple steps, it's just... Well, instead of swapping partners, you usually stick with one and keep holding onto them. … Literally. It got a lot of criticism in some circles because it was believed to be too intimate. The close proximity, you know.” Hans made the oddest gesture with both his hands that Kristoff pretended to understand. “In more recent years, it's becoming more accepted, I suppose because people began to realize just how silly they were being about it. We even danced a variety of it during Elsa's coronation ball.”

“Let me guess... You danced with Anna,” Kristoff remarked. The thought of Hans getting 'intimate' with Anna on the dance floor during the very first day they'd met caused his stomach to clench painfully.

“Well... Yes. As I said, people realized they were being silly about it. It's just a dance,” Hans replied, but even as he did so, there was a light blush on his cheeks which implied he'd taken it very seriously back then.

Now even more skeptical, Kristoff raised an eyebrow. “So you really believe this is something that can be danced with a friend?” he asked, because if it wasn't, there wasn't much of a point in learning how to do it.

“Yes, I truly believe that.”

“Alright then. Let's get this over with.”

Kristoff stood up straight again and as he did so, his gaze fell on one of the portraits which lined the wall. Somehow, it always felt like those people in the frame, made of nothing more than paint on paper, were mocking his attempts to learn proper dancing. Just one of the many reasons to be uneasy, he supposed.

Hans came to stand right in front of him and while he didn't seem quite as bothered, he _did_ look unsure of where to begin. “Right. So. In a waltz, it's typical that the man leads while the woman follows his movements. I suppose, considering the circumstances, it's best that I lead for now.”

“So that makes _me_ the woman?” Kristoff remarked immediately, his pride taking yet another blow.

“Well. Obviously, once you've learned how to do this, you're free to lead any woman you wish,” Hans said with a wry smile.

Something about it struck Kristoff as odd. It was the _restriction_ , he realized. A very strong line was being drawn across this waltz thing and he didn't like it.

“Wait, so only a man and a woman are allowed to do this on the dance floor?”

“Ahhh...”

“I thought dance was for everyone and this wasn't supposed to be something intimate.”

“I... I've never really thought about it.” Hans scratched the back of his head with a frown. “I suppose if two men or two women do a waltz together, it would get some strange looks, but... I don't think anyone would put a stop to it. Certainly not in Elsa's court. It's just a matter of deciding who leads. And since you don't know _how_ to lead- _yet_ , I'll take that role for now.”

Kristoff couldn't exactly argue the matter any more, which meant he could no longer _stall_. Admitting defeat, he prepared himself for the worst- and what a turn of events it was. Before he even knew what was going on, Hans's arm had looped around his waist, hand placed against his back. His _other_ hand had a firm grasp on Kristoff's, holding it up. Shocking as the situation was, Kristoff didn't even question it when he was instructed to hold onto Hans's shoulder with the hand that remained.

He'd been lied to. This was _absolutely_ not a thing friends could do.

With the close proximity, he became painfully aware that he hadn't showered in a while. Following that, he realized how odd it was that it bothered him. It'd never bothered him before, not even when he was standing very close to Anna. She was a princess, just like Hans was a prince, so where was the difference? The only times he ever felt uneasy around Anna was whenever he struggled with the notion that she was due to be married to someone else and she likely just saw him as a friend anyway.

“Are you alright? You seem nervous,” he heard Hans say, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He tore his gaze away from the painting he'd once again been staring at. It showed some crusty old king with ruddy ginger hair and a moustache, looking directly down on them from within his frame. Compared to that, Hans was a more pleasant sight. His soft green eyes at odds with his sharp nose, as always, he looked genuinely concerned. Kristoff must've been very far away to elicit a response like that, which was the _last_ thing he wanted. They were supposed to be doing this for fun.

He grinned widely. “Hah, _you're_ the one who should be nervous. I'm going to either blow your mind with my amazing waltz skills, or I'll take a wrong step and break your foot.”

“You do enjoy raising the suspense, don't you?” Hans asked with a smile of his own. He squeezed Kristoff's hand before continuing. “Now, I'm going to move my left foot forward and when I do, you'll move your _right_ foot backwards to match. Our steps should be roughly the same length. Are you ready?”

Kristoff glanced down at their feet and imagined where those steps might take them. He hoped it was less strange in reality than it appeared within his mind. “... Ready.”

“And step.”

So they did. Now Kristoff was standing at something of an uncomfortable angle, his fingers digging into the sleeve of Hans's shirt in an extra attempt to keep his balance. That was foolish, he realized, because if he were to fall he'd just drag his anchor down to the ground _with_ him. He made a mental note to let go of Hans if it ever came to that. Better to fall alone than to risk hurting the one guy who actually thought it was worthwhile to teach him.

“Good,” Hans told him. “Now, move your left foot diagonally, backwards and to the left. That way, you'll end up with your legs spread out a bit, but you'll correct it by moving your _right_ foot to the left as well, closing your stride again. Do you understand?”

“Uuuh... I think so?”

“Then, let's try it. Ready, aaand... Step.”

The instructions definitely _sounded_ easier than they were. Kristoff moved his left foot, faltered when he realized he'd stepped too far back, wobbled precariously for a second, then remembered the thing about correcting his stance. Once his right foot had returned to the left foot's side, he was standing properly upright again and breathing a sigh of relief. Faintly, he heard Hans chuckling under his breath.

“Would you believe me when I say this is the weirdest thing I've ever done?” Kristoff asked.

“Considering the life you've led so far? No, I'm afraid I don't _quite_ believe it,” Hans remarked in turn. “Don't worry, you're better at this than the quadrille. With a bit of practice, you'll have it mastered in no time. Then you can move on to more advanced waltzing steps, including a twirl of your partner. Or a _dip_.”

“You mean like _this_?” Kristoff grinned widely and shifted his left arm so that it was slung around Hans's spine. A look of realization and horror dawned on the prince's face, but it was too late; Kristoff took a single, large stride forward and as he did so, forced Hans into a backwards dip.

A whooping scream echoed through the ballroom, followed by “ _Kristooooff_! _Noooo_!”

Now the tables were turned, because with Hans's attempts to keep himself as much upright as possible, he had pulled himself up against Kristoff's chest and fingers were clutching the fabric of his shirt. Kristoff's right hand was being squeezed pretty harshly too.

“Don't worry, I won't let you fall,” he said, because despite not being able to see the other man's face anymore, he got the impression that Hans was genuinely afraid it would happen.

Several seconds passed in the oddest tension and Kristoff become convinced he'd just made the worst mistake of his life. His teasing must've crossed some sort of line, or maybe caused physical hurt, because Hans didn't relax in the slightest. Mortified, he stood up straight again, taking the prince's weight with him. “I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean... Are you okay?” he stammered quietly.

When Hans pulled away, he was red in the face and unable to meet Kristoff's eye. There was a shaking to him, both in his posture and in his voice. “Fine. I'm fine. You just caught me off guard.”

“I'm sorry, I really am. It was a joke,” Kristoff tried to assure him.

“I know. I... I apologize, but our lesson is over for today.”

“What? No, _Hans_ , come on. You know I didn't mean to-”

“It's _over_ ,” the prince cut across him, his intonation low and his eyes closed. “We'll try again some other time. Please, excuse me.”

Hans spun on his heel and left the room so fast, Kristoff knew it was best to let him go.

\---------

The forest was familiar and soothing. It was a much-needed change of environment for Kristoff after what'd happened earlier today. The fresh air and nostalgic smells lifted a weight off his chest. The way the sled cut through snow when Sven ran at full speed replaced that hefty feeling with freedom. Besides, Hans would have his space for a while. He wouldn't risk running into Kristoff in the castle grounds all evening. It was perfect for everyone.

Trouble was, Kristoff was being watched, maybe even followed. It'd happened more than once over the past month, whenever he'd failed to return to Arendelle before sundown. It always no more than a distant shimmer in the undergrowth of the forest. Once it was yellow, once it was red, twice now it'd been blue. They were taking turns straying from the valley, it seemed.

His pursuers weren't willing to make the first move and every time he'd spotted one of them, he'd encouraged Sven to keep walking. They were at a stalemate.

Kristoff was getting sick of it.

He cast one glance up towards the full moon, just barely visible through the tree tops, and wondered whether he would regret another confrontation. Anna's many declarations of disgust towards the trolls lingered in the back of his head, as did Elsa's insistence that a truce was in their best interest. The people of Arendelle could get hurt if the trolls were provoked. Still, another thing to haunt Kristoff's mind were the memories of his family. They'd made many questionable decisions when it came to his happiness, but they _loved_ him, didn't they?

A deep sigh escaped him, then he tugged at Sven's reins. “Hold on, buddy,” he called, and instantly, the sled came to a stop. Sven made sure to throw a frown his way, though, because he knew just as well what was about to happen.

He turned towards the distant glow of the crystal and recognized it. It was one of the trolls who'd been closest to a father than any other. “Cliff! Did you need something?”

Kristoff waited, but the only sounds to reach his ears were Sven's huffs, along with the rustling of what few leaves were still around during winter. After a moment of hesitation, he slipped himself off the sled and backtracked towards the bush. Part of him expected the ground to open up beneath his feet, just as Hans had experienced half a year ago. Another part of him expected flames, ice or any other sort of unnatural occurrence that magic might cause. He even imagined that maybe he was approaching a decoy; that he was about to come face to face with a normal rock wearing Cliff's necklace and that the real thing would jump him from behind.

None of those things happened.

He pushed some harsh twigs aside and there, huddled up inside the Rowan shrub, sat Cliff. He looked up at Kristoff with an apprehensive expression. It was the exact same expression Sven would wear whenever he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. So what was it that Cliff had done?

“... Why are you out here?” Kristoff asked, steeling himself for what was to come.

“I was just...”

“ _Cliff_.”

Beady little eyes shifted from left to right, then towards the ground. “I miss you, Kristoff. We _all_ miss you.”

“You should've thought about that before you tried to _kill_ someone,” was Kristoff's immediate response.

“But we only did that-”

“ _No_. I don't want to hear your excuses.”

Realizing that this exchange was just as infuriating as before, Kristoff turned and began to walk back towards Sven. He should've known better than to indulge a rock troll. There was a rustle behind him, then a shout from Cliff which caused him to stop in his tracks again: “Wait, wait, _wait_ waitwait! How about an apology instead?”

Kristoff closed his eyes, allowed his hands to curl into fists for a second, then whirled around again. “An apology?”

“Right! We... We did something wrong, right? So... We're sorry.”

Cliff's expression was so anxious, it was difficult to say whether this was an earnest gesture or some sort of clumsy trick. Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest, trying to let it all sink in. They 'did something wrong', huh? That admission was infuriating in how _hollow_ it felt.

“That doesn't mean much, coming from just you,” he said. “Do you even understand what you're apologizing for?”

Cliff squinted, his grubby little hands wringing together. “... For what we did to Prince Hans?”

“ _And_?”

“Um.”

When it became clear that Cliff had no idea what the wrongdoing really meant, Kristoff shook his head heavily. It wasn't just about altering memories or murder attempts; it was about how badly the trolls had wronged not only Hans and Anna, but even Kristoff himself. It was about their assumptions, their refusal to listen and the decisions they'd made behind his back.

“Well, I'll give you another decade or so to think about that one. Until then, apology not accepted. _Stop following me_ ,” he declared, and once again, attempted to return to the sled.

But Cliff wouldn't have it. There was a discreet rumble as the troll rolled along in front of him, cutting him off and blocking his path. “Wait, please!” Cliff insisted, and for the first time since Kristoff had known him, he seemed about ready to _beg_. “Even if you won't forgive us, even if you hate us forever for what we did... You need to come back to the valley with me.”

“What, so you can cast some sort of magic and keep me there forever? So you can erase all my memories of my friends?” Kristoff asked angrily. Distrust was spreading through his body, sending a chill down his spine. He shouldn't have stopped the sled. Stupid, _stupid_.

“No, _no_! We wouldn't!”

“ _Sure_ you wouldn't.”

Still fostering doubts about his childhood, he wasn't willing to take any such claims without question anymore. He shouldn't even be listening at all. There was no way Cliff would ever tell him the truth. Gritting his teeth, he tried to push his way past the troll.

“Kristoff, please! You... You have to come to the valley!” Cliff pleaded, sounding more desperate by the syllable. “It's _Bulda_.”

“What _about_ Bulda?” Kristoff demanded, raising an eyebrow. He was expecting some sob story about how Bulda was beside herself with worry, if not complaining every day over her lost 'son'. It _would've_ been just like her.

“She's... She's _sick_ ,” was the response.

Kristoff froze and for about a second, he worried. Then second thoughts kicked in, along with paranoia. “... Trolls don't get sick.”

“Well, no. Not like _humans_ do.” Cliff waved an idle hand, then looked up at the sky. “Troll sickness is... It's different. We tried to heal her, but it didn't work. We can't use magic on our own kind, you know. Our hides are too thick. So... So we can't remove what ails her.”

Skepticism ebbed away when Kristoff saw the sadness in Cliff's eyes. His troll 'father' wasn't that good a liar. _No_ troll was that deceptive. “What do you expect _me_ to do about it?” he asked.

“Bulda won't listen to me. She won't listen to any of us. But maybe if you go talk to her, she'll get better. My true love wasn't enough, but maybe her love for _you_ will help her recover.”

Kristoff looked towards Sven, who was still waiting to return to Arendelle. He was far from patient, though; if anything, he seemed to be encouraging Kristoff to ignore the trolls and get back on the road already. Everyone was waiting for him back home.

Still, if he turned Cliff away out of spite, wouldn't that make him an even worse person than the trolls? He couldn't just turn a blind eye to someone who was sick, could he? Hadn't Bulda cared for him all those years and always done what she'd believed to be best for him? He heaved a deep sigh.

“Fine. But I'm _not_ staying. Just a quick visit, that's it.”

Cliff was delighted. As for Sven's loud groan of dismay, it was exactly how Kristoff had pictured Anna's response if she were to find out about this.

\---------

“Is that...?”

“ _Kristoff_! Kristoff's come back to us!”

“Come and see, Kristoff! I found a really nice rock the other day! Do you want it?”

“No, no, he has to see my new crystal first!”

“He has to sample the _mushroom_ crop first!”

“Kristoff, over here!”

The hubbub was even more intense than usual. All around him, trolls were fighting to get to the front of the mob, dozens of keen eyes honing in on him and demanding his attention. Several others had swarmed over to Sven to pet him and while Kristoff's best buddy still seemed reluctant to be here, he lowered his head to accept the affection all the same. Not a single troll seemed upset with them. If anything, they seemed to believe that he'd forgiven them and everything was back to normal.

It _wasn't_ normal.

“Enough,” he cried out. “I can't stay, alright? I'm just here to see Bulda- where is she?”

An immediate hush fell over the crowd. The valley, usually such a temperate place even in winter, suddenly felt drained of its warmth. Some of the trolls looked towards a singular point, somewhere far in the distance. When Kristoff squinted, he could just barely make out the silhouette of Bulda, sitting all by herself on the edge of the trolls' domain. She was out of earshot, with her back to the rest of the valley. Something was off, that was for sure.

“Are you going to save her, Kristoff?” Pebble asked in a squeaky voice.

He wished he could say that. He wished he could be the hero of this story, looking past all the misunderstandings and manipulations to cure a sickness with 'true love'. Trouble was, he _couldn't_ guarantee it. Not until he knew what he was up against.

“... What sort of sickness has she got, exactly?”

“Darkness,” replied a deep, worn voice. The trolls all cleared a path for Grand Pabbie, who came waddling up to Kristoff with a careful stride and a bowed head. He looked worse for wear today, brown tufts of grass atop his head drooping.

“ _Darkness_?” Kristoff didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit. It felt too ominous and it wasn't the first time Pabbie had breathed that word to him. That wasn't the biggest problem here, either. “What do you mean? How did she get something like that? I thought your hides were too thick to be affected by magic.”

Pabbie shook his head. “It wasn't placed there by magic. This affliction was born shortly after you left us. Bulda began to spend more and more time by herself. She barely eats. Sometimes she will cry, sometimes she will be angry... But she will not smile. We have not seen her smile in months. That is the darkness which has befallen her.”

Kristoff blinked as he took it all in. There were about three seconds in which he thought he couldn't possibly have heard correctly. Then he knew that he must've and became furious all over again. “Are you _serious_? _That's_ what you call _darkness_?!”

“Kristoff...”

“She's not sick! She's just... _sad_. A-And lonely, maybe. She's sad because I- I left my family and she couldn't understand _why_. It's normal to feel that way! And _you_... You tried to heal that with _magic_? Or true love's kiss?”

“Sadness is a _human_ affliction. We trolls don't experience emotions that way,” said Pabbie.

“Well, _apparently_ you do. You just refuse to admit it and act like it's something to be cured overnight, but that's _not_ how it works,” Kristoff snapped at him. He raised a hand to the back of his head, grasping locks of his own hair as he struggled to get his infuriation in check. “Wait, is... Is _that_ what you meant when you said Hans has darkness in his heart?”

“Of course. Loneliness, fear, a refusal to acknowledge one's own accomplishments and instead focus on failure... Such things are dangerous. They can drive a man to do awful things- to others and to oneself.”

“Hans is _not_ dangerous,” Kristoff hissed. “He had a _horrible_ life before he came to Arendelle, so it's only natural for him to... to feel bad sometimes. But everything's gotten better for him now. He has _friends_ now. Don't you see? He's getting rid of that 'darkness' because he's on his way to being happy. That's exactly why I don't want you to fix me up with Anna. He needs her more and he _deserves_ to be happy.”

Silence. The trolls peered up at Kristoff in a curious manner, exchanged frowns, then began to chatter and nod. He released a breath, because he was sure, so _sure_ now that they understood. That belief was shattered the moment Gothi's shout echoed over the valley.

“ _Kristoff loves Hans_!”

And there was cheering, there was whooping, there were raised hands... Several trolls linked their arms together and began to dance. Sven's jaw dropped. Kristoff's own had dropped as well, he was sure. The coldness in his mouth clashed with the heat rising in his cheeks.

“ _No_! That's not what I meant!” he yelled, waving both his arms to get the trolls' attention.

They barely heard him. They were in a frenzy, shouting and gossiping. If sadness was an unfamiliar concept to them, then so was shame.

“I get it now! That's why he got mad when we hurt him!”

“Kristoff is sacrificing his own happiness so _Hans_ can be happy!"

“It's an act of true love!”

“This changes everything!”

He looked to Pabbie, hoping the eldest of the trolls would be a voice of reason, but he wasn't. All he did was nod his head in a sagely manner, a smile on his face. Kristoff sank into a crouch, grabbing Pabbie by the arm. “Are you all out of your minds? Just half a year ago, you all were sure _Anna_ is my true love,” he pointed out.

Truth be told, some part of him had used that notion as a crutch. It was just as Hans had said; true love would win out. He wasn't naive enough to believe he would win Anna's heart in the end, but he'd still held onto enough hope that it was _possible_. If the trolls could change their mind just like that, their earlier proclamations were worthless.

“We still are,” Pabbie said with a chuckle. “Do you believe 'true love' means the same thing as ' _only_ love'? Love takes form in many shapes and sizes. It can be spread out as far as one wants without losing its intensity. All that matters is that one's love is pure. _That_ is what makes it true and that is what makes it the most powerful magic of all.”

Kristoff felt his jaw drop all over again. He wasn't given enough time to ponder the matter too much, though. All the excited chattering around him died down as the trolls turned around to face something- or _someone_ else. Another path was cleared and now, Kristoff was staring directly at Bulda's face. The glow of the crystals around her neck seemed weaker and the blossoms which would always decorate her hair were gone. All that was nothing compared to the barren look on her usually vibrant face.

Maybe the trolls had been right to consider her current state a sickness. Either way, it was up to Kristoff to help her feel better.

“... You're back,” she said quietly. There was some disbelief to the statement, like she felt she was being tricked somehow.

Kristoff rose to his feet and forced a smile, despite how much unnatural it felt to do so. “Hey. I... I came to see you,” he mumbled. A few seconds of silence, then he began to walk towards her, through the aisle the other trolls had left for him.

Bulda still didn't appear fazed. “You said... That we can't be a family anymore.”

“Yeah, I... I know I said that. But when Cliff told me you weren't feeling well, I just... I couldn't do _nothing_.”

“So... So what _will_ you do?”

“Things can't go back to the way they used to be. Too much has happened for that. Anna in particular would be furious if she knew I was here. But... I don't want you to suffer, either. So I guess I could visit once in a while. Me _and_ Sven.”

Some of the gloom in Bulda's expression lifted. She still wasn't happy, but she was somewhat _relieved_ , at least.

“You would do that?”

“That depends.” He lifted his head, addressing not just Bulda but the entire troll community. “Do you understand that no matter what your reasoning is, it's wrong to try and kill people? And to use your magic on them without them knowing about it?”

“But humans try to kill each other all the time! For _no_ reason!” Crag said, and there was some jabbering of agreement.

“Right! With _wars_!”

“And _robberies_!”

Kristoff held up a hand. “I know. Humans _do_ do that sometimes. But they shouldn't. It's wrong.”

Once again, all the trolls put their heads together, whispering and shrugging. They were willing to _consider_ the notion, at least, which was already progress from the time Kristoff had confronted them about Hans.

Finally, Flint raised a hand, jumping up and down with a loud “Ooh, _oooh_! What if it's in self-defense?” he asked. “Can we use magic then?”

“That's a good point!” Halvard chimed in immediately. “We don't want to end up like poor old Flemmingrad!”

Once again, there were murmurs of agreement and Kristoff frowned. Even with their rocky hides, trolls could still be hurt. And even with all their power, stories were told of an ancient troll who'd died because of humans. Tonight wasn't the time to ask about that, though. He needed to steer them _away_ from those sort of thoughts.

“I- Well... I guess?” he said. “But don't _kill_ them! Just... Use your magic to turn them around so they can't get to you, or something. Nothing good comes out of it when someone gets hurt. It just causes, well, _darkness_.”

“Oooh, I get it now!” Pebble squeaked.

“Our Kristoff has such a good heart!”

“We should definitely listen to him. Yes. Absolutely!”

A hand tugged at Kristoff's pants. It was Pabbie. The elder troll was smiling warmly and when he spoke, it cut straight through the buzz surrounding them. “You've grown quite wise, Kristoff. Perhaps one day, _you_ will be the next elder.”

“Hah! I'll pass, but thanks,” he replied.

The last thing he wanted was to be responsible for every single troll in the valley. He had a life back in Arendelle. He was _human_. With that, he turned his attention back to Bulda, who still hadn't quite cheered up all the way. She likely wouldn't for a while. He leaned forward, and when he did, he felt his shoulders hunch with tension.

“I haven't forgotten that you loved me like one of your own. All the good times we had... Those memories mean a lot to me. But... I guess that's why I have to _know_.” Kristoff paused, drawing in a deep breath. He knew he was about to take a dangerous leap, but he needed peace of mind, one way or the other. So he asked the question which had bothered him for half a year already. “... Was any of it _real_?”

“What do you mean?” Bulda asked.

“Did Sven and me really come stumbling into the valley on our own? Was I really left behind in the woods by my elders? Or... Or was that just something you made me believe by changing my memories?”

“Oh _Kristoff_...” After a bit of hesitation, Bulda raised a hand to the side of his face, rubbing it. “If you believe that's something we would do, then... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for giving you reason to believe that.”

“Yeah... I _do_ have reason to believe you'd do it. Especially if my real memories were... were really _bad_ ones, because then you would've done it because it was best for me, right? Because it would've saved me from darkness.”

Bulda blinked and looked to Cliff, who shrugged. Now she was forced into humility. “Oh. I suppose we would've thought that. But that's not what happened, Kristoff. When you came to us, you were full of _wonderful_ memories of your time spent with people. You talked about the orphanage, you talked about ice harvesting, you talked about how you'd just learned to read... And you always did it with such love in your heart, we wouldn't dare take that away from you.”

More than anything, Kristoff wanted to believe she was telling the truth. Trouble was, he wasn't certain whether he would ever _truly_ believe it. The orphanage he'd come from was long gone, so there was no way of knowing. He supposed this was as good as it was going to get.

It didn't matter whether it was true or not. There was something far more sticky to haunt him from now on. Much as he tried to ignore it, he received a very sharp reminder when he left the valley, like something poking at his chest from all angles. As the trolls shouted their farewells to him, the messages were as loaded with weight as they could be.

“Byeee Kristoff! Give our regards to Princess Anna and Prince Hans!”

“Good luck winning their hearts! Not that you _need_ luck!”

“Oooh, I can't wait for the double wedding! I'll need to adjust the troll vows in my book to match the occasion!”

One thing was for certain: Anna and Hans could never know that Kristoff had gone to see the trolls again and _especially_ not what they'd told him.

**To Be Continued**


	12. Honesty

\---------  
  
_“Conceal it.”  
  
“Don't feel it.”  
  
“Don't let it show.”_  
  
\---------  
  
When Hans awoke, it was in a cold sweat. The sun was already up, frost shimmering against the glass of the window. The large grandfather clock which stood in a corner, its ticking always a soothing constant, told him it was far past his usual rising time. Ten hours of sleep hadn't quite gotten rid of the emotional turmoil caused by Kristoff's latest dancing lesson, he realized. He sat up in bed and for the longest time, did nothing but stare down at his hands.  
  
His reaction had been so out of line... So disgraceful. He should've just steeled himself and continued the lesson, but at the time, he'd lost all strength to do so. Once again, his mind flooded with memories of his brothers, all of whom had been bigger and stronger than him, and all of whom had used that to their advantage. He'd taken quite a few punches and shoves in his childhood, but one time in particular stood out.  
  
He couldn't have been older than nine. Oskar, Boris and Gunther had cornered him in one of the guest rooms. He'd tried to hide under the bed, but Gunther had grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him back out into the open. They'd held him up straight with a forceful hand, as his trembling legs alone had failed to support him. He couldn't remember which of the three brothers had dealt that final shove, he only knew that a shoulder had rammed into his chest and he'd hit the wall. He'd awoken on the floor several hours later, all alone and with a bump that felt like it was the size of a small apple. No one had come to find him. His brothers hadn't thought to get help. He'd made his way to the dining room in a haze, where the rest of his family had already gathered and where he'd been scolded by his father for being late. Oskar had said nothing, as had Boris, as had Gunther, so Hans hadn't said anything either. To complain about his pain would've been a sign of weakness and he was sure his father wouldn't see it as a valid excuse, so he'd sat down for dinner as if nothing were amiss.  
  
He knew Kristoff wasn't like his brothers. He _knew_ Kristoff would never hurt him, so why had he feared otherwise? He was going to have to offer his best apologies and hope that his behavior hadn't damaged their friendship.  
  
It was with extreme difficulty that he slid himself out from between the warmth of the blankets and one morning routine later, he stepped into the stables. Kristoff was already up, of course, a pitchfork in hand and a small pile of manure in the nearby cart. Sven was out, by the looks of it. That was understandable, as there was a whole wide pasture out back for the reindeer to enjoy, even _with_ the cold of January.  
  
Kristoff was so absorbed in his work, he hadn't noticed Hans yet. Tempting as it was to just _wait_ for that moment, Hans realized it was his duty to speak up, as it was rude not to do so.  
  
“Good morning.”  
  
Kristoff froze, the pitchfork having just slid itself under another target. When he looked up, it was with a strained smile. “Hey, Hans. Listen, about yesterday-”  
  
“No, please allow me to apologize. My reaction was overblown-”  
  
“It _wasn't_.”  
  
“It _was_. You were only joking and it was no reason to call off our lesson. Please forgive me.”  
  
“Of _course_ I forgive you. Did you really think I was mad about that?” Kristoff asked, and all at once, Hans felt quite foolish. He glanced towards the manure cart and in doing so, didn't realize Kristoff had put the pitchfork away until the man was standing right in front of him. For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then Kristoff placed a hand on Hans's shoulder. “If my jokes land that badly, they're not jokes at all. So... Sorry for thinking that was funny.”  
  
“On the bright side, you didn't end up breaking my foot,” Hans remarked with a wry smile. “If you stick to the lesson plan next time, you'll be just fine.”  
  
Kristoff's hand immediately retracted from Hans's shoulder. It was somewhat of a startling move and Hans's first instinct was to wonder whether he'd said something wrong. Kristoff certainly looked uncomfortable enough to suggest that much, as he was now rubbing the back of his neck and glancing up towards the ceiling. “Errr, about that. I'm thinking it's probably for the best if we give up on dancing lessons,” he said.  
  
“Wait, what? Why? You were doing so well!”  
  
“Nnnooo... I don't think I was.”  
  
“If this is because of what happened-”  
  
“No! I just think I'm more of a musician and less of a dancer, that's all. It's not that I don't appreciate you trying! Because I do! But it's made me realize I'd rather just be off to the side, playing my lute, than try to be graceful in front of everybody, you know,” Kristoff said in a haphazard sort of way. Then he shook his head and fixed Hans with a smile. “But I'll still keep giving you cooking lessons! There's definitely something worthwhile there.”  
  
“Oh... Well, if you're certain...”  
  
“I _am_ certain. Don't worry about it, okay? It's not because of you, it's just... It's _me_ that's the problem.”  
  
Hans's first thought was to object to that notion, as Kristoff was far from a problem in his eyes. He swallowed those words, though, because they somehow felt like hollow sentiment. Folding his hands behind his back, Hans rolled his shoulders just a bit. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.”  
  
“Yeah. Thanks.”  
  
Any further conversation wasn't given the opportunity to exist. There was a sudden flurry of approaching footsteps coming from the courtyard, sharpened by the distinct tap of high heels against stone. A few seconds later, Anna came storming into the stables. “ _Kristoff_! I need-” she began, only to lay eyes on Hans and nearly trip over herself. She came to a screeching halt, arms wheeling in an attempt to keep herself upright. There was a breathy chuckle, along with a smile. “Hans! I missed you at breakfast.”  
  
“I'm sorry. It seems I overslept,” he said gingerly, still a bit taken aback by the hectics of Anna's entrance.  
  
“I know! I checked in on you around eight, but you were still so deeply asleep that you didn't even hear me knocking. So then I peeked in- you know, to make sure you were in there, and wow. You sleep like a dead person. Not in a _bad_ way! It's just... I don't know why I assumed you'd snore. You don't, just so you know. Anyway, I thought it was best to just leave you to your shuteye.”  
  
“Oh, I... I'm sorry.”  
  
“Don't worry about it! It's about time _you're_ the one who slept through our breakfast.”  
  
Anna stepped up to him, slinging her arms around his neck. He received a quick peck to the cheek, and wonderful as that was, he was relieved it wasn't anything more substantial. Kristoff was standing right there, after all.  
  
“You did _have_ some breakfast though, right?” she asked him once she'd taken a step back again.  
  
“Oh, no, I came straight here.”  
  
“Well, don't _skip_ it! It's the most important meal of the day! I left some rolls for you. And strawberry jam.”  
  
“Ooh, that's one of my favorite kinds of jam!” Hans said, excited. “It's second only to-”  
  
“ _Blackberry_ jam!” Anna finished for him.  
  
“ _Yes_!”  
  
The both of them broke into a fit of giddy amusement. To still be able to find new common ground even after more than half a year of having known each other was such a thrill. But then Anna turned towards Kristoff, and all of a sudden, her demeanor changed right back to some sort of furious urgency. Her eyes narrowed and her nose crinkled. Hans saw the target of her glare back away, reminiscent to a cornered animal seeing its life flash before its eyes.  
  
“We need to talk. In private,” she said.  
  
“I-I... I was just... I didn't mean-” Kristoff stammered fearfully. “Ca-Can this wait?”  
  
“No. _Now_. _Right_ now.”  
  
Hans glanced back and forth between the two, wondering whether Kristoff had gotten himself into trouble. Anna had snapped at him before, but never like this. Usually, it was something which held indignation; the result of Kristoff teasing her. Whatever was going on now, it had nothing to do with a joke which failed to land. He wondered whether he ought to support Anna's stance or to defend Kristoff from her wrath, only to conclude he shouldn't be choosing sides at all. Anna had insisted they should talk in private, after all.  
  
“Err. I'll just _leave_ , then, shall I?” he asked.  
  
“Right! Go get your jam roll!” Anna chirped, flipping her mood upside down yet again to shoot a warm smile his way. “I'll see you at our swordfighting class, alright? Twelve o' clock sharp! I won't be late this time!”  
  
“Nor will I,” he replied with a mild grin of his own. Then he left the stables, hoping that whatever was going on between Anna and Kristoff wouldn't end with even more strained friendships.  
  
\---------  
  
Anna waited until her fiancé was out of earshot, then once again whirled round to face Kristoff. He looked like he was about to break into a panic sweat, and she wondered why that was. Had she failed to tame her bedhead this morning, giving her the appearance of a monster? She realized her hands were now fists, fingernails pressing into her palms, so she quickly relaxed her stance again.  
  
“I need the honest truth from you,” she began.  
  
Kristoff looked even more rattled now, his features blanching. “Look, I know how you feel about them, but I was just- They needed my help, so...!”  
  
“Wait... What? _Who_ needed your help?” she asked with a frown. Kristoff's words had thrown off her thought pattern and now she was spiraling from her mission into outright confusion.  
  
“Errr. Ah... The reindeer. Out in the woods. That I saw last night. Um. I gave them some of the food that Cookie packed for me. Which, you know, was meant for me and not for reindeer. But uh. Yeah.”  
  
Anna was silent for a good ten seconds, then shook off her bemusement. “Well, _of course_ you would stop to feed reindeer. That's really not a problem. No, listen, I need your opinion on something. Green tablecloths or blue tablecloths?”  
  
“... Come again?” Kristoff asked, raising one eyebrow at her.  
  
“ _Tablecloths_! For Hans's birthday party!” Anna clarified impatiently. Wasn't that obvious? … Well, perhaps not, but she should hope that Kristoff would understand once she explained. “Elsa said green is better for the time of year, but blue is Hans's favorite color. So I asked Kai and he agrees with Elsa, because _of course_ he agrees with Elsa. I don't know what I was thinking, asking him. So now I'm asking _you_. Blue or green?”  
  
Kristoff blinked. He shuffled one of his feet along the ground, shifting some straw as he did so. Then, he asked: “Can't you do both? Half the tables with blue tablecloths and the other half with green? Mix it up a bit?”  
  
“Oooh! That's _brilliant_!” Anna cooed, clapping her hands together. “We can do a whole color scheme with blue and green! See, I knew you'd give better advice than Kai!”  
  
“I'm sorry, isn't Hans's birthday in March?”  
  
“It sure is! March 15th! But I'm going to make sure he gets the biggest, best birthday party ever! I mean, we can both guess what kind of birthdays he's used to, right? Those Southern Isles jerks probably gave him dry bread with whipped cream instead of a real cake. So now that he's turning 24, that means he needs 24 birthday parties in one. We need fireworks, we need banquets, we need a pile of gifts as high as the stable ceiling! Everyone in the kingdom should be invited to celebrate with us. If we don't start planning now, we'll never get it all ready in time.”  
  
“Does uh... Does _Hans_ know you're throwing an enormous party for him?” Kristoff asked.  
  
Anna thought that was a very silly question, so she couldn't quite stifle a laugh. “Well, it's _his_ birthday. He must expect that there'll be celebrations!”  
  
“That's not what I asked.” Kristoff slid his hands into his pockets, resorting to a bit of a slouch as he fixed Anna with a deadpan stare. “Did you tell Hans you're going to invite the entire kingdom to his birthday party?”  
  
“What's the problem?” Anna asked, now annoyed by Kristoff's attitude. Why did he always have to try and sour everything? “The bigger the party, the better, right?”  
  
Kristoff shook his head with such obvious exasperation that Anna could almost _taste_ it. When he spoke, it was in a dry tone of voice. “Better for _you_ , sure. But eerily similar as you two are, Hans isn't _exactly_ like you.”  
  
“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” she snapped at him.  
  
“Anna, I'm saying this because I care about you _and_ about Hans. Trust me. You do _not_ want to throw an enormous party for him.”  
  
“Well, why not?”  
  
“Because that's not what _Hans_ wants,” Kristoff concluded, the bluntness of his remark enough to have her recoil as if she'd just been jabbed in the chest. “I can't believe you haven't noticed this- or, well, I guess I _can_ believe it, but he doesn't actually want to be the center of attention. If you want his birthday to be the best ever, just spend the day with him. Go horseback riding and dancing, and sock gliding and whatever else you two do to have fun. Maybe spend the evening stargazing. And... And have a picnic with him, with cake and hot chocolate and other sweets. He doesn't want the people of Arendelle to shower him with gifts, he... He just wants _you_.”  
  
The first thing Anna felt was a surge of embarrassment over her blushing, which was sure to be happening right about now. She just couldn't help it, though. The thought that Hans wanted to be with her more than anything else in the world was something she'd been told in a variety of ways already. It'd just never come from someone as cynical and sober as Kristoff. If even _he_ would say it, that must've meant it was absolute, undeniable truth. _Hans wanted her_.  
  
Following that, Anna couldn't help but feel bad. While Kristoff's argument made perfect sense, it had ended on a bitter note. She felt bad for Hans, whose perfect day she'd completely misjudged. What sort of fiancée was she if she couldn't even tell that the love of her life would prefer a quiet day over big festivities? She felt bad for Kristoff as well. It couldn't have been easy for him to actively herd Anna towards Hans.  
  
Kristoff really did care an awful lot about the both of them, didn't he?  
  
“Are... Are you doing that thing again?” she asked, her fingers idly playing with one of her braids.  
  
“What thing?”  
  
“That thing where you're sacrificing your own feelings because Hans and I are... You know, in love?”  
  
Despite the redness in Kristoff's cheeks, he huffed loudly and looked away. “It's nothing. I just don't want you to ruin Hans's birthday.”  
  
Anna was silent for a long moment. This situation... She had hoped it would somehow resolve itself, but it hadn't. Kristoff still had feelings for her and to be honest, she didn't know how she felt about _him_. All she knew for sure was that she wanted him to stick around in her life forever. If she ever had to go without him... Well, even with Hans by her side, something would've been missing forever.  
  
So without thinking about it any further, she strode up to him and stood on her toes to plant a timid kiss on _his_ cheek as well. He staggered backwards, evidently in shock. She didn't know what sort of reaction she'd been expecting, really. She didn't even know how _she_ should've responded. Or why she'd done it in the first place. Maybe she _did_ know how she felt and she just didn't want to admit it, because it didn't make _sense_.  
  
Spinning on her heels to hide her own blush, she decided she would have to retreat in the most graceful manner possible. “Thanks, Kristoff. For being honest with me.”  
  
\---------  
  
' _Thanks for being honest with me_ '... The sentiment haunted Kristoff even more than the kiss on the cheek he'd received. Why did things have to get so _difficult_? Why couldn't he just decide on what he wanted? Why couldn't he just tell Anna- _and_ Hans- the truth?  
  
Why was love so hard?  
  
Not that he really did love Hans. … Or did he? Ever since the trolls had brought it up, he couldn't stop wondering. It was impossible, right? But then... Love really did take all shapes and sizes. And he supposed he couldn't argue with the idea that someone could love different people in different ways.  
  
But _Hans_? The two of them were good friends, so it already made sense that Kristoff was happy whenever Hans chose to spend time with _him_ over Anna. And sure, he would fight anyone who would dare cause Hans pain, because he couldn't stand the thought of Hans suffering any more than he already had. Sure, Kristoff would always laugh at his terrible jokes, because no matter how terrible they were, they would cause Hans's features to light up with pride and amusement in the best of ways. Hans's smile could bring cheer to even the darkest of days, so of course Kristoff would want to see it as often as possible. And-  
  
_Oh no_...  
  
That shouldn't even have been his priority. Anna expected honesty from him, but he'd gone to see the trolls behind her back. He'd agreed to pay them even _more_ visits, because awful as their 'good intentions' had been, they were still his family. They weren't beyond salvation. He could _fix_ things between the trolls and Arendelle's royal family if he could just have some more time.  
  
But he had to tell someone. ...Someone who wasn't Sven.  
  
After half an hour of pacing through the stable and almost tripping over his pitchfork, he knew what he had to do. There was only one thing _to_ do, really.  
  
Elsa proved more difficult to find than he'd expected. Maybe it was because he'd never had to seek her out before. In the half year that he'd known her, he'd come to learn that Elsa was always busy. Somehow, in his head, a king or queen had always been the sort of person to sit around on their throne all day, telling other people what to do. Elsa had proven him wrong on so many levels. She left as little as possible in the hands of her staff and beloved by her people as she was, she was always approached for advice.  
  
Now it was _Kristoff_ who was striding up to her in the castle hall, earning himself a sideways glance from both Kai and another servant, who'd already been taking up most of their queen's attention.  
  
“Elsa-” he began, only to feel a burning stare from the staff. He quickly bowed his head in a show of respect. “I-I mean... _Your Majesty_. I need to talk to you- Ah, if I may.”  
  
She seemed pleasantly amused by his attempt at formality and he couldn't quite blame her. It must've looked very out of place. Knowing Elsa primarily as Anna's older sister, who happened to also have ice magic, the queen thing felt like a surreal afterthought.  
  
“You may,” she declared with a smile. Following that, she turned to her staff. “You can get a start on those administration forms. Set up some of the bullet points you believe to be important. I will join you shortly.”  
  
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the servants said. Then they were off, not even sparing Kristoff a second glance.  
  
Elsa watched them go. It wasn't until her gaze could no longer follow them that she turned, fixing it on him instead. “What is it?”  
  
“Ah... Can we do this... _Not_ in the middle of a hallway?” Kristoff asked timidly, because he believed that any second now, Anna could come rounding a corner. It should've been impossible, as it was now past twelve and she would've been wrapped up in her swordfighting lessons. But then... Nothing was impossible when it came to _her_.  
  
Elsa nodded and beckoned with a single hand, then began to stroll down the hall. Kristoff followed her all the way to a nearby room, which had been furnished with a large table surrounded by several chairs. His first instinct, after closing the door, was to peer _underneath_ the table. Then he stepped over to the curtains and casually glimpsed behind them.  
  
“What are you doing...?” Elsa asked.  
  
“I'm checking for Olaf,” he clarified. “This needs to stay between us and, well, you know how he is.”  
  
“... Good point.”  
  
Once they were sure the room was clear of nosy snowmen, Elsa took a seat and invited him to do the same. He lowered himself into the chair with more caution than he usually would've, placed his arms on the table before him, then wondered if that was rude. How did someone sit in front of royalty? He moved his hands into his lap, which seemed like a safe enough bet. Still, as Elsa raised an eyebrow, the horrible notion hit him that his posture was the least of his problems. He was expected to _speak_ now.  
  
“Ah. So. About the trolls...” he began, and already, his fingers began to fidget with one another below the table's surface.  
  
Elsa's expression didn't change in the least. She was cool, composed, unfazed by the mention of what Anna considered to be some of Arendelle's most vicious enemies. Either Elsa was unconvinced of that sentiment, or she knew how to hide it very well. Kristoff hoped it was the first option.  
  
“What about them?”  
  
“I... _Maaay_ have gone to see them last night,” he said, and immediately fearing that would warrant outrage, he plunged on into justification. “Because one of them came to see me, you see! He _begged_ me to come to the valley because Bulda- she's kind of like my mother- she's sick. And I don't mean _sick_ sick, she's just down because of what happened. A-And as you can see, I'm just fine. They didn't do anything weird to me. I don't think they ever _would_ do anything to me- or to Arendelle. So...”  
  
Kristoff hadn't expected himself to ever reach Anna's level of babbling, but as soon as the last word had left his mouth, he knew that he might even have surpassed it. Now forbidding himself from saying any more, he waited for Elsa to respond.  
  
“So how is she doing now?” was the question she asked.  
  
“... What?”  
  
“Your mother. Is she doing better now that you've seen her?”  
  
A frown, then Kristoff waved his hand. “Sure. I mean, she's not _better_ better, but it seemed like she was doing better than before when I left the valley.”  
  
“Do they understand why you left them in the first place?”  
  
“I don't know. I tried to explain it to them again and it seems like they grasped it a little better. They definitely won't be going after Hans again, that's for sure!” Kristoff insisted, but it left a bad taste in his mouth, knowing what the reasoning behind it was. “They're not bad people- or ehhh... Not bad _not_ -people. They just have their own way of seeing the world and their own way of doing things. And I'm not saying I forgive them. I never will. But just because I can't dismiss their mistakes doesn't mean I should avoid them forever, right? If I can keep teaching them about humans, and what to do and what _not_ to do, it'll be better for everyone, won't it?”  
  
For a few seconds, Elsa said nothing. Then she leaned forward in her chair, the hint of a mischievous smile on her face. “Kristoff, are you asking for my permission to keep visiting the trolls?”  
  
“No! … Well, maybe? Would that be alright? Because if you say I _can_ , that means Anna can't get mad at me for it, right?”  
  
“Oh, I'm sure she will. She'll get mad at the both of us if she were to find out.”  
  
“So I can't go?”  
  
“I didn't say that.”  
  
“Bwuh?”  
  
“Anna's reasons for harboring a grudge against the trolls are perfectly understandable.” Elsa sat back in her chair again, her gaze drifting towards the window as she spoke. “They've taken away some precious memories of hers, misled our parents when it came to my powers, attempted to thwart her relationship with Hans by causing him harm... We can't ask her to look the other way on those things. That said, I am willing to believe that the trolls don't harbor any true malicious intent. My parents saw them as someone to turn to in time of need and... Well, I suppose communication is a very important element in any relationship. If we can have the trolls understand _human_ morality, there may be a future between the people of Arendelle and the troll community yet. Who better to serve as the bridge than a human who was raised by them?”  
  
Kristoff breathed a sigh of relief. Good, this was good. If Elsa could see eye to eye with him, he was definitely on the right path, wasn't he? Then he frowned. “Wait, are you saying that I should tell Anna? Or that I _shouldn't_ tell her?”  
  
“You absolutely need to tell her. Whether that happens today, in a month or even in a year is your decision. You may want to spend some time on forging a stronger understanding within the trolls, so that you can prove to her that they're capable of change. However, the longer you hold a secret, the more harm it may cause.” Elsa paused and raised a hand to her chest, looking a bit distracted. She must've been considering how her own secrets had impacted Anna's life, Kristoff supposed, only to be proven wrong when she spoke again. “… To others _and_ to yourself. I would advise you not to wait for too long.”  
  
“I... I guess...” Kristoff said. Elsa probably knew what she was talking about, but even so, he thought it would be a very bad idea to spring this situation on Anna any time soon.  
  
“Regardless, please be watchful around the trolls. Malicious intent or not, I'm still wary about what they may do in the future.”  
  
“I understand, Your Majesty. … _Elsa_. Elsa Majesty. Thank you.”  
  
They left the meeting room and filed out into the hall. Kristoff was just about to say his farewells when there was a flurry of clacking footsteps, like high heels against the stone floor, drawing closer. He turned just in time to see Anna rounding a corner behind him. Was the swordfighting lesson over already? It couldn't have been later than twenty minutes past twelve.  
  
“ _Elsa_ , I have to-” she began, only to come to a sudden, skidding halt when her gaze found Kristoff. Her arms were held out awkwardly as she tried to keep her balance and straighten herself up again. “I-I mean... _Kristoff_! What are you... doing here?”  
  
“I uh... I was just leaving,” he said, more than willing to make his escape before Anna could delve too deeply into why he'd been talking to Elsa.  
  
“Good! That's good!” Anna blurted out, only to shake her head. “N-Not that you're leaving. It's just... I need to borrow Elsa for a bit. It's for a totally normal sister thing, you know.”  
  
“We have 'totally normal sister things'?” Elsa asked her with an amused smile. Kristoff couldn't help but wonder the same.  
  
Anna pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, about as normal as things _get_ for us, surely.”  
  
“If this is about Hans's birthday party, I will admit that after giving it some thought, blue tablecloths wouldn't be such a crime after all. I could produce some ice ornaments to match,” Elsa offered.  
  
“What? No, the party is off.”  
  
“It's _off_? You mean it's been canceled?”  
  
“ _Yes_ , it's been canceled! Try and keep up, please, Elsa!” Anna threw her arms up in the air. “I have something else to discuss with you. Very important. But like I said, it's a sister thing, _sooo_...”  
  
Kristoff shook his head with a smile. He'd gotten the hint the first time, honestly. He just enjoyed watching the way Anna could still rattle someone as composed as Elsa to her core. Seemed like that show was over now, so he waved a dismissive hand. “I know, I know. Go do your sister thing, then. I've gotta go check on Sven anyway. Wouldn't want him picking any more fights with the royal horses out back.”  
  
As he strode down the hall and towards the courtyard, Kristoff couldn't help but _dread_ the moment where he would have to be honest with Anna about everything.  
  
\---------  
  
Her heart beating in her chest, Anna was led into a little meeting room by her sister. She knew that what she wanted to discuss _should_ count as a totally normal sister thing. In fact, this might've been one of the most normal things they would've talked about in the last few months. Trouble was, that was the exact reason she felt nervous. She wasn't used to discussing anything too embarrassing or too _personal_ with Elsa. She also knew that Elsa might not be able to help her with this particular issue. Trouble was, she had to talk to _someone_ about it. If she kept it to herself any longer, she just might burst.  
  
Either way, the first thing she did upon entering the room was peer underneath the table.  
  
“Don't worry, Olaf isn't in here,” Elsa said. Anna wondered whether her powers allowed her to know where her creations were at any time. If so, that was amazing!  
  
They took a seat and instantly, she knew Elsa's gaze was on her. Now she felt like she was standing high up on a castle wall, a dizzying height before her, causing her head to spin. She drew a deep breath and despite having attempted to gather her words as she'd ran here, she now found that they'd mysteriously gone missing from her head.  
  
“... Anna?” Elsa asked in an expectant manner.  
  
“How are _you_ today? You look _good_!” she blurted out.  
  
“I'm doing very well, thank you.” A smile, then Elsa cocked her head to the side. “So is there something on your mind?”  
  
“Ah. Well... I wanted to talk to you because...” She faltered, unable to look at Elsa's face any longer because she feared it might turn judgmental at any moment. She could _do_ this, she just had to ease herself into it. “I ah... I have this _friend_ , you see. And she has a problem, so I thought I should ask _you_ for advice. Because you always know what to do.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“Yeah. See, the problem is... She's got a wonderful boyfriend, right? He's perfect for her in every way and she's sure that one day, they'll be married and live happily ever after. But they've both got this _friend_ , right? A really sweet, caring friend. And she- my friend thinks that maybe she has feelings for _him_ too. _Different_ feelings, but still feelings. So whaaat... Should she do?”  
  
Silence rang in Anna's ears and she could swear that it went on forever. When she finally forced herself to look up again, she saw that Elsa's expression wasn't quite judgmental. If anything, it was a cross between exasperation and light mirth. That was even _worse_. Elsa had no sympathy at all for this situation, did she?  
  
“Anna...” she began quietly. “Is this friend _you_?”  
  
Knowing she couldn't keep anything from her sister, Anna howled and threw herself forward, arms spread out over the table and face pressed up against the wooden surface. “AAAUGH! I'm a _horrible_ person, aren't I?! Just say it! I'm the _worst_!”  
  
“Anna-”  
  
“I can't believe I'm _like_ this! How could I do this to _Hans_? He's such a sweetheart, and he's so dreamy and charming and supportive...! And I love him, I _do_! I just want to be with him forever and ever, and our lives would be perfect! But Kristoff is a sweetheart too, just in his own way! He's witty and ruggedly handsome and I just feel so _safe_ around him, because I know he'd do anything to protect me. Being really close to him makes me feel all tingly- but then again, so does being close to _Hans_ , so what does that really mean?”  
  
“Anna, I really don't think I'm the right person to talk to about-”  
  
“I have to _choose_ , right? I can't love them both, I have to _pick_ one!” Anna exclaimed, now a bit breathless from all her raving. That didn't stop her from plunging on, though. It was as if a tea kettle's spout had been lifted and now all the steam was shooting out, the water still bubbling on and on and on. “So of course I would have to choose Hans, because I fell in love with him _first_! And I can't just call off our future engagement- think of what his brothers would say! And his _father_! He wouldn't ever be able to show his face in front of his family again! But Kristoff doesn't even _have_ a family because of me! He already gave that all up for my sake- for _our_ sake, so it'd be really unfair to reject him, right? Shouldn't I be giving up something for _him_? Oh, but the people of Arendelle are all expecting me to marry Hans! He's a prince, after all! So-”  
  
A hand grabbed Anna's shoulder, snapping her out of her reeling, escalating thoughts. She blinked and stared straight into the face of Elsa, who'd leaned in closer. Her cold blue eyes clashed magnificently with her red lips, which had curled into a warm, comforting smile. If that wasn't already enough, there was a gentle shake which caused Anna to bob back and forth in her chair.  
  
“ _Anna_ ,” Elsa said again, and this time, it made a deft landing inside Anna's brain as opposed to flying right over her head. “Please, take a moment to calm down. You might suffocate if you keep talking any more.”  
  
Anna did as she was told and drew a few deep breaths. It caused the strain in her chest to ease up somewhat. See, already Elsa was giving out the best advice. Everything would be alright. Fingers lacing together in her lap, she sat back and waited for her sister to clean up this whole mess she was in. Elsa's first words, however, implied that there was no broom big enough to sweep up the scattered fragments of her love life.  
  
“I'm sorry, Anna. I can't claim to know much about, well, relationships or romance,” she said quietly. “What I _do_ know is what you seem to have forgotten: I am the Queen of Arendelle and you are our Princess. _We_ say what is right. _We_ say what is done or not done.”  
  
“You mean...? Uh. _What_ do you mean, exactly?” Anna asked.  
  
“Should you choose to marry Kristoff, the people of Arendelle would have to accept that. The same goes for marrying Hans, of course. You could even marry the _both_ of them and no one would have the power to object.”  
  
Anna recoiled, then tilted her head curiously. “Wait, what? Is that really an option?” she asked, because now that she was taking it into consideration, wouldn't that be ideal? A double wedding with twice as much cake, twice as many gifts and twice as much true love to be celebrated... Wow.  
  
“I... I was joking...” Elsa replied, taken aback. “I mean, yes, it is an option. As I said, the royal family decides what's acceptable. The decision is yours, not the citizens's. _That_ was my point.”  
  
“Huh...”  
  
Anna's thoughts strayed to the best two blacksmiths she knew; Ada and Tuva Diaz. They'd been forbidden from marrying in most other kingdoms, but not in Arendelle. Here, two women were totally free to celebrate their love. The same applied to two men. That was just it. In Arendelle, everyone was free to be who they wanted to be, and to be _with_ whoever they wanted to be with. Provided it didn't break any laws, anyway, but Anna and Elsa could _write_ those laws. Why _shouldn't_ someone be married to two people if she loved them both equally? That made perfect sense! As far as she knew, there weren't even any laws against it, so it wasn't like she'd be abusing her powers.  
  
“ _But_ ,” Elsa said, cutting through Anna's cheer like a sharp knife. “When I say the decision is yours, it is not just yours.”  
  
“Is... Isn't that _exactly_ what you're saying?”  
  
Elsa shook her head with a smile. “I'm saying the decision is for you, Hans and Kristoff. All three of you need to take some time to figure out exactly what you want. You need to _talk_. I mean... You can't simply decide to do what's most convenient for you when there's two other people involved.”  
  
“Oh!” Anna's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. What had she been _thinking_? Wouldn't it be horribly unfair towards both Hans and Kristoff if they had to share a wife? Wouldn't it make everything awkward? It was just like her to simplify matters without thinking about the consequences, wasn't it?  
  
“There's no hurry. You postponed your engagement with Hans because you wanted to find out where exactly your feelings stand, remember? A lot may change within a year, or even a few months.”  
  
“Right. You're right,” Anna admitted, hanging her head. “Thanks, Elsa. You always know exactly what to do. I really hope that one day, I'll be just as wise as you.”  
  
“Hmm...”  
  
As Anna left the meeting room, she felt as if a huge weight had lifted off her chest. Her storming thoughts had calmed down as well. Still, there was something nagging at the back of her head. Had she forgotten to discuss something with Elsa, maybe? Anna struggled to pinpoint exactly what it was, but it felt much like a dream attempting to claw its way back to the surface, only to slide back down into the abyss of forgotten images. She strolled through the hall, her gaze shooting out the window, to a suit of armor, then finally to a grandfather clock. It was over half past twelve.  
  
… _Her swordfighting lesson_!  
  
Despite knowing that Hans would forgive her for being late, as he always did, Anna broke into a desperate sprint.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	13. Quality Time

\---------  
  
_“All my life has been a series of doors in my face. And then suddenly I bump into you.  
  
“I was thinking the same thing, because like... I've been searching my whole life to find my own place. And maybe it's the party talking, or the chocolate fondue. But with you...”  
  
“But with you, I found my place.”_  
  
\---------  
  
“Anna... _Anna_...!”  
  
“Ggghhh...”  
  
“Anna, wake up!”  
  
Much as she attempted to block it out, a familiar voice kept tugging at Anna's subconsciousness, _needling_ at her. It was Elsa. Trouble was, the comfort of her dream was just too wonderful and its hold was too powerful. Selfish as it might've been, she absolutely didn't want to heed the call. Not even when a hand shook her shoulder did she open her eyes, instead rolling away from the source of the disturbance.  
  
“Just five more mi... Minutes...” she mumbled quietly, trying to raise her blanket up over her head. Trouble was, something was hampering the blanket's progress, pulling it back down towards her chest.  
  
“It'll be eight o' clock soon, Anna,” Elsa said right by her ear. “You don't want to be late for breakfast.”  
  
Breakfast? Who cared about breakfast? She wasn't even hungry. She just wanted to sleep.  
  
“'M sure nobody will mind...”  
  
“They _will_ mind. It's the fifteenth today.”  
  
“The fifteenth...?” she repeated in a haze. It did indeed ring a bell.  
  
Why was that day important again? _Something_ was happening on the fifteenth. Something she'd been excited for. Something she'd been _preparing_ for. Her mind finally released the last few shreds of her dream so she could focus on reality. Come on, she could do this. It shouldn't be too hard. The fifteenth of March was...-  
  
She sat up quite suddenly, locks of hair spilling into her face as her heavy eyelids snapped open. “The _fifteenth_!” she cried out. She looked towards Elsa so fast that the muscles in her neck objected in dismay. “Why didn't you _say_ so?! Is he awake yet?! Oh no, I have to get ready!”  
  
She scrambled out of bed as fast as she could, but her blanket hooked around her left foot and in her haste, she tore it towards the ground. One quick shake of the leg later, she'd freed herself from the tangle of comfortable fabric and was free to dart over to her mirror. She looked every bit an awful mess.  
  
Elsa had raised a hand to her mouth and was now chuckling. “Don't worry, you still have more than half an hour to do so. I even sent Kristoff and Olaf to stand guard outside his door. Should he head down for breakfast early, they'll distract him until it's time.”  
  
“Half an hour is not enough! Ooh, I should've been up _ages_ ago!”  
  
Anna ran to the bathroom, back to the bedroom to retrieve everything she'd forgotten, then back into the bathroom. When at last she returned to the bedroom, washed and dressed, almost twenty minutes had passed. Elsa had waited quite patiently for her return, by the looks of it. She accepted the brush handed to her and sat down in front of the mirror. At the moment, she didn't appear at all a beautiful, dignified princess worthy of her amazing boyfriend's attention. She was, if anything, a frizzy-haired monster girl wearing a fancy dress. But she could fix that!  
  
“What do you think?” she asked, taking hold of a lock of hair as she looked towards Elsa's reflection. “Pinned up? One braid? Two braids? ... Down? Or maybe down and with one small braid down the back, like this- Nooo, ew, that doesn't look fit for a party. I should just wear it the way I did on the night when we first met. Or wait, no, that's too formal!”  
  
“I think you'll look beautiful no matter _what_.”  
  
“That's not helping!” Anna cried out, exasperated. “Uggh, I wish Kristoff was here! He always has an opinion ready!”  
  
“Oh. Then... One braid?” Elsa suggested.  
  
“But that's what _you_ have.”  
  
“Well, do you know what Hans prefers?”  
  
“No, because he never _says_ what he wants. You know what, I'll just start brushing and see what happens,” Anna decided, raising the tool in her hand towards her untamed locks.  
  
Elsa was silent for a moment, her hand against her chin. Then, finally, she uttered the words: “You know, I don't believe I've ever seen you this nervous.”  
  
“ _Of course_ I'm nervous!” Anna admitted. She flinched when she felt a harsh tug at her scalp, the brush obstructed by a knot. Now pained, she attempted to undo the damage with one hand. “It's Hans's first birthday here in Arendelle. It's his first birthday with _me_. It has to be perfect!”  
  
“I'm sure it will be perfect simply _because_ it's his first birthday here in Arendelle with you,” Elsa said.  
  
“Yeah, well... I still need to give it everything I've got. It just feels like I'm not doing enough for him, you know. He loves me _so_ much and I... I love him too, obviously! I love him more than anything- Wait, no, that's unfair of me to say. Because I love you too. And I love Olaf and Sven and... A-And Kristoff... But that's just it, I guess. I love _so_ many people, but Hans only seems to love _me_ , so I need to focus on him today. All my love, all my attention, all my time... It all has to go to him. Isn't that the least I can do?”  
  
Elsa seemed confused by the sentiment, at least for a moment. Then she sighed and gently pulled the brush from tangles of Anna's hair. “If that's what you believe you need to do, that's what you'll do. Hans is lucky to have you.”  
  
“It's the other way 'round,” Anna insisted. “And it's high time I show that to him.”  
  
\---------  
  
When Hans opened the door to the hallway that morning, it was with a twisting feeling in his chest. He knew what day it was. He also knew that _Anna_ would know. It was time to face the music, the gifts and whatever else she would've arranged for him. Considering how grand the Christmas party had been, he quite expected the castle to be filled with guests already.  
  
What he hadn't expected was to encounter someone within his first few steps. Still somewhat distracted, he almost walked straight into Kristoff, who must've been standing just outside his door.  
  
“Oh, whoah, good morning!” he heard the man say.  
  
“Good morning, _Haaans_!” called another familiar voice. Hans glanced down to see Olaf, broad smile at odds with how he felt.  
  
“Um. Good morning,” Hans said, already suspicious of the situation. Kristoff was usually never inside the castle. “... Excuse me, my thoughts were elsewhere.”  
  
“Yeah, obviously. Are you, uh, headed downstairs already?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“A bit early for breakfast, don't you think?”  
  
Hans frowned. He'd glanced towards the clock just before leaving his room and taken note that it was about seventeen minutes to eight. “... I would prefer to be early rather than late,” he said.  
  
“No, well- I was wondering if you could help me- Um-” Kristoff sputtered, only to be cut off by Olaf.  
  
“We're supposed to keep you distracted until eight!” the snowman chirped happily. Kristoff scowled and slapped his hand against his forehead.  
  
Yes, this was exactly what Hans had feared. There was going to be a surprise party and he was going to be surrounded by people he barely knew. It filled him with guilt, because he knew he ought to be grateful for such a thing. A big, proper party in Arendelle was infinitely better than passive aggressive, formal dinner in the Southern Isles. Even so, he dreaded it.  
  
He glanced up to Kristoff, quirking an eyebrow. “Anna put you up to this?” he asked, though it was really not a question anymore.  
  
“Yeah,” Kristoff said with a wry smile. “Happy Birthday, by the way.”  
  
“Kristoff, _nooooo_...! We were supposed to wait 'till we get to the breakfast hall! Now you've ruined the surprise!” Olaf said loudly. He looked quite exasperated about the whole thing.  
  
“Figured I'd say it already, since the jig is up,” Kristoff replied, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
Olaf whirled around to look up at Hans again, spreading out his arms. “Happy Birthday, Haaans!”  
  
“Thank you.” Hans crouched down and held out his arms as well. Olaf immediately leaped into a warm- or, well, _cold_ embrace. Now that spring's warmth had begun to affect their surroundings, Olaf's personal flurry had once again returned to shower snow wherever the little guy went.  
  
“Just so you know, we've still gotta keep you distracted,” Olaf told him once the hug was broken.  
  
“Understandable,” Hans admitted, standing up straight again. He cast a cautious glance towards Kristoff. “How big is the party going to be? Should I brace myself for jugglers, games, ice sculptures and fireworks?”  
  
Kristoff immediately raised both his hands, taking a step backwards. “Hey, nope. I'm not going to spoil the surprise. You'll just have to wait and see.”  
  
“Ah.”  
  
“Is it too late to get jugglers?” Olaf asked Kristoff in such a loud whisper, Hans couldn't possibly have missed it. Whether that was a good sign, he didn't know.  
  
Ultimately, Kristoff placed a hand on Hans's shoulder. It would've been a nice gesture, had there not been an incredible pause beforehand. Kristoff had been acting strange for almost two months now; ever since he'd put an abrupt halt to their dancing lessons and instead stuck solely to the occasional cooking class. Hans had broken something in their friendship after all, he was sure. Or maybe Kristoff had finally realized that his brothers had been right to consider him worthless.  
  
“Don't worry,” was the advice given to him. “I think you're really going to enjoy what Anna's got planned for you.”  
  
“And if you don't, you can always bail out and come spend the rest of the day with me!” Olaf chimed in.  
  
Hans chuckled quietly. “Something tells me Anna won't _let_ me. But it's fine. My birthday only comes once a year.”  
  
“I think, after this day is done, you'll be wishing it comes more often than that,” Kristoff said, taking his hand back again and sliding it into his pocket instead.  
  
Hans had to actively stop himself from sighing. This was definitely going to be his first real, heartfelt birthday party, wasn't it? A party just like every other royal would have, with all the bells and whistles one could ask for. Why, then, was he not looking forward to it? He couldn't possibly allow that to show, so instead he feigned discreet enthusiasm.  
  
A bit more banter later, it was past eight 'o clock and Hans was allowed to descend the stairs. Kristoff and Olaf both stuck close behind him as a whimsical escort. He quite expected to hear the buzz of conversation as he strode towards the breakfast hall's door, but everything was silent. Were the guests aware he was coming? Were they going to burst into loud cheers the moment the crossed the threshold? After one deep, steadying breath, Hans took hold of the handle and pushed the door open.  
  
His eyes widened and he froze in his tracks. There was no enormous crowd. The hall was almost empty. Anna and Elsa stood near the table, with Sven by their side. The reindeer must've been allowed inside the castle just this once, or perhaps Kai hadn't been informed about it. Three voices shouted “Happy Birthdaaay!” and one voice, unmistakably Olaf, shouted “ _SURPRIIIISE_!” As for Sven, a cheerful bellow had been mixed into the noise as well.  
  
“What...?” was about all Hans could think to say.  
  
Yes, there was a pile of gifts on the table, but it wasn't even close to what he'd been dreading. There were, perhaps, ten of them in all. And yes, there was food on the table, but it was only a few plates of rolls, cakes and biscuits. Three different jars of jam were present as well. That was the extent of what'd been set out for him and also about all he could take in before Anna came running his way. Dressed in a yellow dress he'd never seen on her before, she seemed to radiate the light of the sun with her ecstatic smile. Arms were slung around his neck, a kiss was pressed against his lips and the next second, Anna had already jumped back again. She seemed so very excited that she was _bouncing_.  
  
“Are you ready for your _best_ day _ever_?” she asked him.  
  
Hans looked from Anna's giddy expression to Elsa, who nodded at him, then down to where Olaf was waddling along towards the table. Kristoff walked past him as well, joining this very discreet group of welcoming faces. When Sven attempted to take a nibble of a nearby fruit platter, Kristoff made sure to tug his head away from the food.  
  
“... I expect I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?” he asked in turn, cocking his head with a smile.  
  
“Nope!” Anna declared cheerfully.  
  
“Oh dear.”  
  
He was guided to his usual chair and pushed down into it. Already, the chocolate cake was within reach, but Anna made sure to slide two other cakes his way as well.  
  
“Before you open your presents, we're going to start with the perfect breakfast! Just choose whatever you want, it's fiiine! But don't fill up too much, because the two of us are going to have a big picnic for lunch. That's _after_ we've gone horseback riding across the hills behind the city, of course. I have the perfect spot reserved- you know the one! With the view of the port! And then we'll head back down and stop by the tavern. The Hook Brothers are in Arendelle for their tour, so _of course_ I had to arrange a private performance just for us. And then there's the romantic boat ride, the tree climbing challenge, the sledding course Elsa will make for us in the Great Hall… And I've set up a game of Arendellian tablut in the east parlor! Then there's dinner and we _absolutely_ have to go up on the roof for stargazing! There's so much to do- go on, eat up!”  
  
Once again, a cake was moved closer by Anna's restless hand. Olaf hopped onto a chair by his side and despite being unable to truly _eat_ , the little guy helped himself to a few biscuits, stacking them neatly onto his own plate. If that wasn't already enough evidence Olaf had no true experience with food, it was the syrup which was being poured onto the biscuits as if they were pancakes.  
  
“I'm sorry, when exactly is the party planned?” Hans asked cautiously, because it sounded rather like a day so full of events, Anna might've forgotten one important thing.  
  
“Huh? There isn't one,” Anna replied. She seemed confused by the question for a second, only to shake it off again. “Or, well, I guess you could say _this_ is the party! Us together, like a family... Isn't that all you need on your birthday?”  
  
At first, Hans couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Following that, he knew that he _must've_ heard it correctly. No need to parade himself in front of vague acquaintances, no need to act like he enjoyed the attention... It would be only himself and Anna for most of the day, doing whatever they wanted to do. He had no doubt that every single event planned for him would be right up his alley. In a way, it would've been less work than preparing for an enormous party, though something like this must've still taken a lot more personal attention and orchestration.  
  
“... Or is that just crazy?” he heard Anna ask quietly. She must've mistaken his stunned silence for disapproval, he realized, so he allowed his true emotions on the matter to take over. Delight, excitement, _relief_...  
  
“I _love_ crazy!” he exclaimed, taking hold of her hand. It caused another smile to grace her face, so just to sweeten the tea further, he leaned in to press a kiss against her forehead. “I love it. This truly will be the best day ever. Thank you.”  
  
\---------  
  
Anna and Hans had gone to enjoy their perfect birthday activities, leaving Kristoff behind to waste the time by himself. There was a thick, hefty feeling in his stomach which he suspected had to do with more than just the cake breakfast. Now he wandered the castle halls with Sven, enjoying the moment while it lasted. Soon, Kai would show up and tell him to take his best pal back to the stables, and he'd be oh-so-polite about it, but Kristoff could read between the lines. A reindeer had no place in the castle.  
  
“What do you feel like doing today, buddy?” he asked.  
  
“ _Why, I dunno,_ ” 'said' Sven. “ _I guess we'll just go play some music and try not to feel too hurt about being left behind._ ”  
  
“Right...”  
  
Their footsteps echoed off the walls as they walked, giving the impression that the entire castle was empty now that Anna and Hans had left it. Kristoff knew it wasn't true; there was bound to be some staff around, but just like him, it felt like they were only passing through.  
  
Speaking of passing through... He spotted a flutter of blue fabric nearby and turned his head just in time to see Elsa striding down an adjacent corridor. She paused right before an enormous set of doors, placed her hand against the ornate wood and waited a good five seconds before finally opening the way into the Great Hall. Kristoff wasn't sure what the exact cause was for his unease, he only knew that something felt _off_.  
  
Taking an immediate left, he led Sven into the Great Hall. The grandness of the room made a usually outstanding person like Elsa seem awful small. She stood in the middle of it all, peering up towards the ceiling. She must've been lost in thought, as she didn't notice Kristoff's approach until he was right behind her.  
  
“Hey, uh... Your Majesty,” he said awkwardly.  
  
“Kristoff.” She turned to face him and while there was a smile on her face, it failed to convince. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“I was just... Um. Is something on your mind? You seem a bit... quieter than usual.”  
  
Elsa's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment. Then she blinked and allowed more genuine emotion to take hold. It was a sort of solemn exasperation, if anything. “When Anna and I were young, this is where we used to play,” she said, gesturing a hand at their surroundings. “We'd sneak out of bed and hurry down here in our pajamas in the dead of night. Our parents could never stop us. I'd use my magic and we'd build snowmen, we'd go ice skating, we'd slide down hills of snow... We'd make up entire stories and play them out, using ice sculptures as props.”  
  
Kristoff took in the Great Hall a second time and this time, he didn't see a pompous display of wealth. This time, he saw the ideal playground for two young children. Growing up in a huge castle like this one, with so many nooks and crannies and _opportunities_ , he understood why Anna was a big fan of playing games.  
  
“That sounds like fun,” he said.  
  
“It was, but...” Elsa trailed off, chewing her bottom lip. “This was also the place where I struck Anna with my magic the first time. Ever since then, she doesn't _remember_ that we used to play here. Every single detail of that was removed from her head. So it's strange, isn't it? That she would ask me to make a sledding course for her in this very hall?”  
  
Kristoff shrugged his shoulders a bit. “I guess you could see it as a weird coincidence, but... It _is_ the best room in the castle to make a sledding course.”  
  
“So there's truly no way to restore Anna's memories the way _Hans's_ memories were fixed?” Elsa asked.  
  
There it was, the question which had shackled the Queen of Arendelle to her solemn mood of the day. ... No, maybe this had been bugging her long before today. Kristoff distinctly remembered Anna's unpleasant reaction to the news that her memories had been altered by the trolls long ago. He understood why she'd be angry and he also understood why Elsa would blame herself for it. The trouble was, he had no good news to give.  
  
“You know, I asked about it the other day. The problem is that Hans's situation was different. His memories stayed mostly the same; aside from a few additions, it was the way they impacted his thoughts that was changed. A bit of tweaking here and there can be reversed. With _Anna_ , some things were _removed_ from her head and Grand Pabbie filled up the gaps with make-believe memories. Once something's removed, it's just... It's _gone_. There's no way to get those real memories back,” Kristoff explained, much as it pained him to do so. He knew the memories must've been important, not just to Anna but to Elsa as well. He had no reason to believe Pabbie had lied to him, though.  
  
“I see...” Elsa replied quietly. If there was any more to her reaction, it wasn't shown.  
  
Sven saw through her. He walked over to her, cooing and gingerly moving his head towards her shoulder. Her features softened up a bit, almost as if she were grateful for the gesture, as she petted his snout.  
  
“But it's okay,” Kristoff cut in. “Because you've been making _new_ memories ever since she found out about your powers again. Things that you _both_ remember. I mean... Remember the skating rink you made during the harvest festival? And how about that time you occupied one of the castle walls and the rest of us had to storm it?”  
  
Elsa chuckled under her breath. “Hans almost led you all to victory. It's too bad he didn't account for Olaf.”  
  
“Hey, who _would've_ expected him to be a spy working for you?” Kristoff asked. He sure hadn't attributed something quite so devious to their cheerful snowman friend and if the team's cynic couldn't spot the traitor in their midst, what chance would Hans have had?  
  
“Heh... Thank you, Kristoff.” Elsa bowed her head just a bit. “You're absolutely right. We _should_ just keep building new memories to replace the old ones, all of us together.”  
  
With that said, Elsa lifted the hem of her skirt and stamped her foot down. Immediately, ice spread out across the floor and Kristoff made sure to stand perfectly still, for if he didn't, he would slip and fall. A scrape by his side told him that hooves were scuffling along the ice, but even Sven managed to stay perfectly upright in the end. Snow began to fall, the flakes thick and perfectly willing to stay where they'd landed. Kristoff ran a hand through his hair, wishing he'd brought his hat.  
  
“Would you like to be the first to try out the sledding course, so we can be sure it's perfect?” Elsa asked him with a sly grin.  
  
He laughed and dipped himself into a bow. “I would be honored.”  
  
\---------  
  
Hans couldn't quite believe how much happiness could be fitted into a single day. Anna had absolutely reached a new height of perfection by arranging it all. He didn't know how someone like him could ever deserve such a wonderful girlfriend, but then, perhaps it was just like all the old fairytales he'd read. The girl was always the hero and the prince was just sort of... _there_ at the right moment. He sure felt like that applied to him.  
  
One thing was for certain, he was loved.  
  
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf weren't the only ones who'd procured gifts for him. Apparently, despite being told they needn't bother, some of the royal guard had pitched in to buy something nice for him. Kai and Gerda had gotten him a present as well. That was the ideal amount of gifts to make them all genuine, thoughtful gestures.  
  
The rest of the day had been nothing but a haze of fun, laughter, music, treats and a few shy kisses. Anna had been by his side for every second of it. Some villagers and castle staff had seen them passing by, but no one had bothered them. They had only smiled pleasantly. It was as if Hans and Anna were in their own world, their own little bubble of happiness, and everyone else could only look in from the outside without ever truly being a part of it.  
  
By the time the sun began to sink towards the horizon, Hans was so full of good feelings and good food that he couldn't walk much faster than a nimble trot. Unfortunately, Anna was not so easily exhausted. She was leading him along by the hand, tugging him up one of the many castle stairways.  
  
“Come on! We should absolutely watch the sunset from the rooftop!” she urged.  
  
Feeling particularly mischievous, Hans allowed himself to fall to his knees. He leaned his full weight against the banister poles, heaving a sigh. “No, I... I can't walk any further. The birthday fun... It's too _much_...! I'll only slow you down. Go on without me!” he said dramatically.  
  
Anna snorted, then leaned down to take hold of his arm with _both_ hands. “Never! I'll _never_ let go! We do this together, or not at all!”  
  
“Are you sure? Takebacksies are frowned upon.”  
  
“Like I'd ever resort to a takebacksie! And if my words are not enough to convince you, then perhaps, _true love's kiss_?”  
  
Anna descended a few steps and crouched down by his side. She looked a bit embarrassed, though. Nervous, even. There was the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks- or maybe that was just the day's excitement catching up to her. Either way, her expression mirrored exactly how Hans himself felt. For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then she extended a hand to his cheek, fingertips landing against his ear and her palm pressing against the side of his chin. They both leaned in at the same time.  
  
Just like that, they were kissing as they sat halfway up a staircase. It might've looked weird to others, but that was just like them. And though this wasn't their first kiss, every single time felt just as new and refreshing as back then.  
  
The rooftop, along with the sunset, were forgotten for now.  
  
When at last they broke apart, they both turned to sit on the steps as opposed to uncomfortable crouching. Now they were free to peer down at the portion of the spiral staircase they'd already traversed. Hans hooked his arm around Anna's, then took her hand in his own. Their fingers entwined like they were made for each other; a perfect fit.  
  
“Anna... This truly has been the most ideal birthday. I don't think I'd change even a single thing about it.”  
  
Anna giggled and tilted her head, allowing it to rest on Hans's shoulder. “Not even the angry squirrel?”  
  
“Not even the angry squirrel,” said Hans. Sure, it had cost him his victory in the tree climbing challenge, but the way he saw it, that squirrel had every right to be cross with him. He _had_ apparently gotten awful close to a nest without realizing it, which had come with its own bright side of seeing adorable baby squirrels.  
  
“Heh... That's good...” Anna murmured quietly.  
  
“I'm still amazed you didn't plan a party, to be honest. Though... I'm also _glad_ you thought to do this instead.”  
  
All of a sudden, Hans felt like his hand was caught in a vice grip; one tight, unwavering squeeze. Anna sat up straight in a slow, bemused manner, then seemed to realize what she was doing, as she released her hold. “O-Oh... Ah... Well...” she stammered awkwardly.  
  
“Is something wrong?” Hans asked her, even as he massaged his aching hand with his other fingers. Anna sure was strong...  
  
“The truth is... I _didn't_ think to do this instead,” she admitted, which was a pretty odd statement until the follow-up came. “I mean- I was all for the party. It was _Kristoff_ who said we should do this instead.”  
  
“ _Kristoff_?”  
  
“Yeah, he... He's the one who knew what your ideal birthday would be like. I'm sorry... I should've realized it on my own."  
  
Ringing silence lasted for about ten seconds. Then Hans slung an arm around Anna's shoulder, pulling her closer. "Don't worry about it. I'm certain I would've loved any party you had planned. And it isn't as if I ever _told_ you I prefer intimate outings over big social gatherings. I'm mostly surprised _Kristoff_ caught on to that."  
  
"He really cares a lot, I think. About both of us,” Anna said.  
  
If there was one thing Hans hadn't expected to hear, it was that. Then again, it _was_ true that Kristoff was the most perceptive out of the three of them. And he was the one most willing to compromise. Kristoff was constantly looking out for them. But then, it didn't quite add up.  
  
“It's odd...” Hans mused aloud. “Kristoff has been acting a bit strange, lately. It's as if he doesn't want to be around me for too long, and whenever he is, it costs him effort.”  
  
“But that's just _Kristoff_!” Anna shook her head, exasperated. “He's just a weirdo like that. Trust me. He was the same way around me for a long time. If he really didn't want to be around you, he wouldn't be around you. Remember how much he always grumbles about that one fisherman who keeps giving him the evil eye? And how he refuses to go to the marketplace now whenever that guy is in port? _Baaasically_ , he's pretty upfront about who he likes and who he doesn't like.”  
  
“Then, you're saying that he's been acting strange _because_ he likes me?” Hans concluded with a frown.  
  
Anna squinted. “Um... Maybe? The only way to know what's going through his head would be to ask him. Trouble is, he's bad at talking about how he feels. He had to be tied to me- _literally_. With _rope_ \- before I could get him to be truthful about how much he cares about me, so... You know.”  
  
“So he needs a push in the right direction?” Hans grinned and pressed his cheek against Anna's forehead.  
  
“More like a shove,” she said cheerfully.  
  
“In that case, I have another birthday request.”  
  
\---------  
  
The sun had just about set. The way Kristoff saw it, it was the ideal night to head to the Valley of Living Rock again. He was making great progress with the trolls nowadays, so he might as well do something useful with his time. Nobody would notice he was gone. The evening had other plans for him, though; he was just fiddling with the straps of Sven's harness when there was movement by the stable door.  
  
“Hey Kristoff... Are you going somewhere?” Anna asked. She was holding the hand of the birthday boy, who looked just as taken aback as she did.  
  
“Uhhh...” Kristoff said, still caught in surprise. Then he hastily pulled himself together again. “No! I just got _back_ , actually! I had a little errand to run and now, uh... Now that's done. Good work, Sven!”  
  
He clapped a hand against Sven's neck and was met with an almost indignant look from the reindeer himself. Ignoring it, he began to unfasten the strap he'd only just tightened moments ago.  
  
“What are you doing here?” he asked, determined to move the attention away from himself. “I thought you two would've been preparing to go stargazing by now.”  
  
“Well, about thaaat...” Anna said in a slow, deliberate manner which sowed immediate suspicion.  
  
If that wasn't already bad enough, Hans's following words were what sealed the deal. They were so innocent in nature, but so weighty at the same time. “I reminded Anna that a perfect birthday would not be quite so perfect without you.”  
  
It hit Kristoff like a ton of bricks, or perhaps a full community of trolls. A fire seemed to ignite within his face. His fingers, on the other hand, went quite numb and dropped the straps. Sven grunted at him in a confused manner, but he barely heard it.  
  
“You... You _what_?”  
  
“Well, you're my closest friend and I only got to see you this morning. That doesn't seem quite right, does it? Therefore, Anna and I would like to extend an invitation for you to join us on the roof.”  
  
The 'closest friend' thing hit Kristoff quite hard as well, though for entirely different reasons. Hans was just as clueless as Anna, wasn't he? In some ways that was for the best, but in others it was just painful.  
  
Kristoff took a step back, shaking his head. “Oh. No... No, this day is for the two of you.”  
  
“Actually, this day is for _me_. And I say it ought to be the three of us.”  
  
While Hans was exceedingly pleasant about it all, Anna was not. If anything, she was like a vicious predator. She took a step forward which was really more of a stomp, then shook her fist Kristoff's way. “It's an official birthday request! You _can't_ deny the birthday boy any requests! That's the _rule_! … That I just made up!”  
  
“But-”  
  
Any other objections couldn't leave Kristoff's mouth. He felt something quite sharp digging in his back, the result of several antler points. Sven was actively pushing him forward. It didn't mesh well with some of the bruises Elsa's extravagant sledding course had left on his body. He stumbled forward, to where Anna and Hans were waiting with beautiful, warm smiles. While they were still holding each other's hands, they were now also extending their other hands to Kristoff. He didn't take them, instead walking past the duo with hunched shoulders.  
  
“Alright. If it's a birthday request, it's a birthday request. Let's go,” he grumbled.  
  
The sound Sven made was about as close to a weary sigh as anyone could get. A reindeer with no dating experience wasn't in any place to judge him, Kristoff felt. He went up to the rooftop and stayed there for as long as he was forced to, stubbornly attempting _not_ to see the way the moonlight cast an attractive glow on either of his companions's faces.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	14. Nightmares and Tall Tales

\---------

_“Revolving moon and spinning sun forged a crescent blade. From light and dark within the heart, the burnished sword was made. The curving arc of Revolute shimmered in his hand. He raised it high above his head and smote the edge of the land. The sea rushed in as hidden power flowed from the gleaming sword, and shaped the rock and forest crown of the first majestic fjord.”_

\---------

“Hans? ... Are you awake?”

There was no response of any kind. Anna wondered whether she should just leave. This was a stupid idea. It was two in the morning. She should've just taken care of it herself. But then... Who else would be the best choice to soothe a situation like this one, if not her true love? The fear, still rushing through her body, told her not to return to her room alone.

So she knocked again. “... Hans?”

Finally, there was the thump of two feet hitting the floor and very soon after, the door right in front of her opened to reveal Hans. Dressed in a simple night-shirt reaching down to his knees, the sleep was still very much visible on his face- at least, until it seemed to sink in that he was facing a living, breathing person and not a trick of the mind. Then he became worried instead.

“Anna, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?”

“Yes!” she said instantly, only to falter. “I mean... Not _entirely_? Um. Can I come in?”

Hans blinked, then stepped aside. Anna entered the room immediately, the candle in her hand casting a much-needed glow into the darkness. It was a bit chilly in here, she realized, and she wondered when the last time was that the fireplace had been fed. What little wood remained in there was nothing more than a pile of black with very few patches of red.

It didn't matter. Just being near Hans was already easing her mind out of the frenzy it'd been worked into.

“What's wrong?” he asked her.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

The reaction was so quick and sharp, Anna knew instantly that her question had been taken the wrong way. Hans recoiled and hit the trunk by the foot end of his bed, struggling to keep his balance. “You- You want to _what_?” he stammered.

“ _Sleep_ ,” Anna said again, this time placing a lot of emphasis on the word. “Just sleep. I ah... I had a nightmare and I... Well, usually I'd go to Elsa for this, but she has a really busy day tomorrow, so I thought...”

“I _don't_ have a busy day ahead?” Hans asked, though it was with a smile, assuring her it was only in jest.

“I thought you would happily put any other business aside for me,” she replied with a grin of her own.

“Of course,” was the immediate reply. “But I'm not sure if this is proper. If someone were to find out, they might think that we... Ah, _you know_.”

“I _do_ know. So we just have to make sure nobody finds out. Then they can't get the wrong idea.”

Hans was silent for a moment. Following that, he shrugged. “Can't argue with that logic. Go on, then. My blanket is your blanket.”

Now giddy with excitement and eager to hide from the chill, Anna set down her candle before slipping into bed. It was definitely still warm. Hans settled down beside her and while he was the perfect gentleman, that wasn't quite what Anna needed right now. She took hold of his arm with both of her own, pressing her face against his shoulder. Hans chuckled quietly and pulled the blanket right up to her chin.

“Ahh, this makes me feel so much better. Thank you,” she said.

“Would you like to tell me what the nightmare was about?”

“Oh, ah...”

“You don't have to if you don't want to talk about it.”

Anna closed her eyes and the images once again flashed through her head. Somehow, the details of nightmares were always harder to shake than the details of _good_ dreams. Her fingers increased their grip on Hans's arm, telling her that he was really there. She was safe.

“No, it's fine. It was just... The sort of nightmare I've been having since I was a kid, really. Sometimes it'll go away for a year or so, but it always comes back in the end.”

“Oh?”

“It'll just be a perfectly normal dream until all of a sudden, I come face to face with a _wolf_. A really big, nasty-looking one with white fur. Sometimes, there'll be blood on its snout- o-or its claws... I'll run away- even try to trick it, but it doesn't make a difference. Somehow, it's always one step ahead of me and it's always _faster_ than me.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

“It _is_. And the biggest problem is that I'm all alone. At times, I'm convinced that it's already eaten the people I love. My parents, Elsa... _You_ and Kristoff... But other times, I'll run to find someone. _Anyone_. I'll reach the castle doors, or even the door to Elsa's bedroom, but they'll always be locked. No one will let me in and I'll be stuck outside, where the wolf catches up a-and...”

Once again, the images invaded her mind and she scrunched her eyes shut. She felt Hans's arm slip out from her hold, only for it to sling around her shoulders instead, pulling her up against a comfortable, familiar body. She sighed and buried her face in the crook of Hans's neck, while her own arms wrapped around his torso.

“You ought to run to _my_ door next time,” he whispered. “I guarantee you, I'll open it and let you in. Then, I'll slay that wolf for good measure, so it won't ever bother you again.”

Anna managed a brief laugh. “Thank you...”

While the thought did make her feel better, she wondered whether reassurance like that would even work. Nightmares were nightmares _because_ things didn't go as planned and if Hans's door were to remain closed to her after all- if she were burdened with the notion that she'd been _lied_ to and Hans would shut her out just to save himself, it would only make the nightmare that much worse.

It was a good thing dreams and reality were very different.

“What about you?” she asked. “Do _you_ have any nightmares that keep coming back?”

Hans hummed under his breath and Anna could feel his head turning towards the wall. “I suppose there is one nightmare that's returned twice, perhaps three times. It doesn't have any wolves, thankfully.”

“Lions? Tigers? _Bears_?”

“None of that. In the dream... I'm on a raft- a rickety old thing slapped together with broken boards, in the middle of the ocean. My family sent me out like that. They told me that if I was lucky, I would wash up in some other land where they _did_ have use for me. If I was even luckier, I'd be lost to sea and that would be the end of it. But really... Neither of those things have ever happened in the nightmare. _Nothing_ happens. It's only myself, the raft and endless water.”

Anna didn't realize she'd stopped breathing until her lungs began to protest. Waving away horrible thoughts about her parents' deaths, she drew herself back to present day. Her arms tightened themselves around Hans's abdomen.

“Joke's on them,” she said. “You _did_ end up in another land where you're wanted- and _loved_. A land much nicer than the Southern Isles. And you didn't even arrive on a rickety old raft. You came sailing in on one of their finest ships.”

Hans laughed out loud and pressed his cheek against Anna's forehead. “You're absolutely right! Hah... I hope one day, I'll get to dream about the envious looks on their faces.”

Anna's grin was so wide, it hurt just a bit. She couldn't help herself, though. All memories of the wolf having faded from the back of her head, she could only think about how perfect her life was. It was hard to believe that only a year ago, she was still locked away inside the castle, unable to speak to Elsa and unable to make friends. Now she had her sister, all the friends she could need and a courtship she wouldn't give up for anything in the world. Hans must've been so much happier too.

Something nagged at her, though.

“... Do you think it's weird that we still haven't heard anything from your father?” she asked.

“No,” said Hans, his voice a low rumble. “Perhaps a letter was sent, only to be lost along the way. Perhaps he doesn't want anything more to do with me, though that seems odd. Even if it's against his wishes, he would still have a lot to gain from a political alliance with Arendelle. So perhaps he's waiting to see whether a wedding really _will_ happen.”

“Does he have reason to doubt that?”

Despite hating the King of the Southern Isles and having insisted several times she didn't care about his opinion, Anna suddenly found herself offended at a purely hypothetical scenario. What a heartless jerk! She was going to prove him wrong. No, Hans _and_ her would prove him wrong. They'd shove their true love right in his face. When the time came for the wedding invitations, Anna would make sure that the one sent to the Southern Isles would be extra large, with the most ornate letters. Perhaps she would send along an entire entourage, just to be certain the invitation would land directly in the king's hands. And if he refused to read it, the entourage would _sing_ the contents to him.

“He has reason to doubt _me_ ,” Hans replied quietly. “Though... That's fine. As I already told my brothers, I don't need his blessing. Or his support. I don't think I need _anything_ from him anymore.”

“ _Good_. Anything he could give you is _garbage_ anyway,” Anna huffed.

“It really is. … Well, shall we get some sleep?”

“Right!”

Anna sat up, leaned in close to the bed stand and blew out the candle she'd brought. With Hans by her side, she fell into a slumber just as comforting as it would've been, had she gone to Elsa instead. Nothing out of the ordinary, or even remotely improper happened. The wolf didn't reappear in her dreams, either.

Trouble didn't come until the early morning hours, when she was ready to sneak back to her own room and pretend she'd been there all night. She opened the door in the slowest, most cautious manner. First she looked right and saw an empty hallway. Then she craned her head around the door and looked left, only to stare straight into the eyes of Gerda.

A horrified silence came from both of them.

Desperate to save face, Anna stood up straight and called towards the bedroom. “Good talk, Hans! Very good _talk_. You definitely gave me some sound advice in those _five minutes_ I was with you.”

“What?” she heard Hans reply in a confused manner, and once she shot a deadpan stare his way, he seemed to understand what was going on. “Oh! Yes, I'm glad I could help with that very pressing issue. Good to know it was resolved so fast,” he said loudly.

Not sure whether Gerda had bought that ploy, she whirled back around and began to walk in the opposite direction, her movements stiff from the fear that any second now, she might be called out on her lies.

And she was. Gerda caught up to her within seconds. Anna expected to be scolded over a misunderstanding and was already attempting to figure out how to _prove_ that she'd done nothing more than sleep. When the remark came, it threw her off guard so badly, she would never see Gerda in the same light again.

“Don't worry, Your Highness. I know all about young love. I won't tell a soul.”

\---------

A grand portrait had been made. A wonderful, lifelike family portrait with beautiful frame to match. Hans stared up at it with wide eyes, taking in all the details. Not only were himself, Anna and Elsa in this portrait, the decision had been made to include Olaf, Kristoff and Sven as well. They stood rather close together to be sure it would fit, but in way, that only added to the charm. Posing certainly hadn't been too uncomfortable either.

What ultimately bugged Hans, he supposed, was where the portrait had been placed. It was right beside a similar one which depicted Anna and Elsa as young children, along with their parents. Somehow, he felt as if the family they'd made couldn't quite match up to what _had_ been. Or rather, what _should've_ still been, had disaster not struck the previous king and queen.

“Do my eyes look squinty?” he heard Kristoff ask. “I think they look squinty.”

“Really? I'd say the resemblance is uncanny,” was Elsa's reply.

“ _What_? Why did nobody _tell_ me I have squinty eyes?!”

“Calm down, Kristoff. I think you look _amazing_ ,” said Anna.

“... Oh.”

Exchanging a few more mutters, the group seemed prepared to leave it at that. Olaf suggested they all go get ice cream to celebrate a 'portrait well done' and Anna agreed so loudly, the suggestion was now fact. Even so, Hans still found himself staring deeply into the eyes of King Agnarr. It was as if they kept him locked in place with silent judgment.

“I wish you could have met them...” said a voice by his side, starting him out of this thoughts.

He turned to face Anna, then noted that Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf were watching him as well. Were they waiting for him to follow, or had he been so lost in thought that he'd made an unflattering face?

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, because he was sure the topic of conversation had been ice cream and Anna's words didn't connect to that in any way.

“My parents... I think they would have really liked you. _And_ Kristoff. And Sven and Olaf... I'm sure they would've embraced you all like family,” Anna explained. It was in a rather somber manner, though, her head bowed. “But... If they were still alive today, Elsa wouldn't have had her coronation yet, which means you would never have come here. And I probably wouldn't have met Kristoff or Sven either.”

“And I wouldn't have been born!” Olaf chimed in with no shortage of cheer.

“And I suppose I still would have been locked away inside my room, fearing my powers...” Elsa added. When she peered up at the portrait of her parents, it was with a certain amount of visible _pain_.

Anna sighed wistfully. “So it's impossible for us to have had everything. I _do_ miss them, though.”

Hans blinked. He couldn't _quite_ relate, as he didn't miss his father at all. His mother, on the other hand... Well, she'd never directly hurt him. She'd even claimed to have loved him. How she could have stood by and allowed him to be bullied so thoroughly, he didn't know. Perhaps she'd been afraid of her husband, just as most in the kingdom were.

It didn't matter now. This wasn't about his own heritage.

“Will you tell us something about them?” he asked, for he found himself quite curious about what sort of people Anna's parents had been. He supposed Kristoff might be wondering the same.

“Oh! Of course!” Anna clapped her hands together and looked up at the portrait again. “Let's see... Father always told the most _amazing_ bedtime stories. It wasn't just fairytales; sometimes he'd talk about old mythology and folklore from other countries too. He really liked to _read_ , I think.”

“That's right, he did,” Elsa said. “Father's favorite place in the castle was the library. Whenever the staff was searching for him, that was where he'd be, completely lost to some book he'd discovered. Mother was one of the few people who could get him to put it down.”

Hans peered into King Agnarr's painted eyes yet again, trying to envision them hidden behind a thick book. It was certainly a more pleasant mental image. It was also a curious one, as he hadn't expected a ruling monarch to have time for those sort of things. Perhaps Agnarr had found a way to _make_ time for reading.

“Is that how he found out about the trolls?” Kristoff asked.

“Uh... Maybe? I guess that would make sense...” Anna tapped her chin and looked to Elsa, who shrugged helplessly. Then she turned her attention back to the portrait. “But _mother_... She wasn't one for stories, she was all for _lullabies_. Songs about huldrefolk and their hidden tails, stone giants tumbling down mountains, magical rivers... She had so _many_ of them!”

Elsa chuckled and nudged Anna with her elbow. “I can't believe you still remember that. You always fell asleep halfway into those lullabies.”

“I did _not_! … Not _always_.”

“ _Sure_ you didn't.” Elsa's grin was rare in just how mischievous it was. Only Anna could have that effect on her. She became more sober soon enough, though. “Mother always had this serene air about her. It was as if she held all the answers to questions I didn't even know I had. It felt... _reassuring_.”

“Yes... It really did.”

Hans blinked. A king who told bedtime stories and a queen who sang lullabies... It sounded so foreign to him. Even if his own parents had only had two children instead of thirteen, he doubted they would've ever done such things. That was what the castle staff was for.

“So... Your mother was the responsible one?” Kristoff asked them.

“I wouldn't say _that_...” Elsa responded with a frown. “When it came to his work, father was very serious. He _had_ to be. He was even younger than I was when his own father passed away, leaving him the sole heir to Arendelle's throne.”

Anna crossed her arms over her chest, looking like she was lost in thought, or at the very least in a difficult math problem. “Huh... Really? How old was he when grandfather passed away, again?”

“Fourteen.”

“It must've been a very difficult time,” Hans remarked, as he'd heard a few snippets about the king's passing here and there, mostly from the older members of the royal guard.

“Oh, yes. Losing King Runeard struck a great blow to all of Arendelle. Father had some very large shoes to fill and a very discontent kingdom to soothe,” said Elsa.

“I'm sorry, uh... I'm a little lost here,” Kristoff cut in, and while his expression made it clear he was attempting to be delicate about it all, his words failed to do just that. “So King Runeard was your grandfather...?”

Anna gasped. “You don't know about _King Runeard_?!”

“History wasn't exactly my strong suit,” Kristoff admitted awkwardly, running a hand through his hair.

“It wasn't mine either,” said Olaf with a smile. “Or at least, it wouldn't have been if I'd ever been taught. But I like to think that if I'd gone to school, I would've been very bad at history. I think I'm more of aaaan... Arendellian Literature sort of guy. _Ooooh_ \- Or _Philosophy_.”

“Well come on, _come on_!” Anna grabbed Kristoff by the wrist and began to drag him along the hallway.

Hans exchanged a bemused glance with Elsa before following, with Olaf in their wake. Anna led them all the way to the library and whirled Kristoff around to face another portrait, which had been positioned right alongside that of a lieutenant of the guard. Neat ginger hair, a matching moustache, a broad face with defined cheekbones... _This_ king was far more reminiscent of the Southern Isles monarch, despite having no blood relation to the Westergaards. Hans already recognized the man as King Runeard, as he'd gone out of his way to try and memorize some of Arendelle's past royalty. Kristoff, however, looked a bit lost.

“Doesn't this guy have another portrait in the ballroom?” he asked.

“Of course he does! He has portraits all over the castle!” Anna declared, a very balanced mixture of excited and _proud_.

“This castle was built during the beginning of King Runeard's reign. He personally oversaw the construction. Not only that; everyone _adored_ him. He was revered as a noble and generous ruler,” Elsa explained. She appeared quite fond of that bit of history. “King Runeard was the one who first opened up Arendelle's borders, reaching out to neighboring countries and offering a safe haven to those who were persecuted in their own lands. People from all over flocked to Arendelle, bringing their culture and their unique goods with them. His hard work in forging ties is the reason Arendelle has so many good trade agreements to this day.”

Anna placed her hands on her hips, grinning widely. “Doesn't our grandfather sound amazing?”

Hans agreed without a second thought. It was no wonder all the older soldiers in the royal guard had spoken highly of King Runeard. Arendelle's transition into an open trade port must've been a wonderful time to live in, so full of exciting new things and celebrations of peace. He could see now why King Runeard's passing would've placed such a heavy burden on King Agnarr.

“But doesn't it kind of seem like he has evil eyes?”

Everyone turned to stare at Olaf, who'd broken the mood so spectacularly with a single question. He said nothing else. Instead, he appeared to be waiting in earnest for an answer, a beacon of innocence.

“Well, it's not the most _flattering_ portrait of grandfather, I will admit,” Anna finally replied.

“So how did he die?” Kristoff asked.

“He died in battle,” Elsa said, her voice taking on a solemn tone. “Thirty two years ago, there was a bit of a conflict with a Northern tribe. Arendelle offered them a gift of peace, only to be betrayed. Aside from the king himself, many brave men of the Arendelle royal guard lost their lives that day. It must've been a very hectic scuffle, as none of the bodies ever made it back to Arendelle. ... I suppose you could say grandfather's tendency to reach out to other territories was his downfall.”

Kristoff cleared his throat awkwardly, shooting an almost apologetic look towards the portrait. “Oh, that's... That's horrible. I'm sorry.”

“His wife- our grandmother, Queen Rita, had already passed away from an illness by then. Because of this, when King Runeard was killed, our father was left all alone,” Elsa concluded. Hans noticed that she was wringing her hands together in a distracted manner.

Anna sighed heavily. “He didn't have any siblings either. I think it must've been very hard on him. But he met mother shortly after that incident, didn't he?”

“Yes, I believe he did.”

“That's good! It means he _wasn't_ all alone. I think mother would've been very supportive of him.”

Anna pressed her knuckles against Elsa's upper arm and the two sisters shared a fond, relieved smile. They both must've had faith in their mother's ability to ease their father's pain. If that was how it was, she truly must've been an amazing, reassuring sort of woman. Only now did Hans wish he _could_ have met her, along with her husband. Swallowing those sorts of bitter feelings, he broke the silence.

“If I may ask, I've been researching some of Arendelle's history, and there's something I don't quite understand,” he said. “Arendelle already existed long before it became a trading port, as a more withdrawn haven for those who happened to come across it. It doesn't appear as if there was a change in the royal bloodline at any time, so the first ruling monarch of your lineage would've been Aren, correct?”

“Oooh, you've been reading up on Aren of Arendelle?” Anna asked him, so overcome with delight that she took hold of both his hands and squeezed them.

He smiled wryly. “Well, I've attempted it. Trouble is, I can only find folklore. Stories which appear to be written for children. Are there no historically accurate documents?”

At once, it became clear that Anna didn't have an answer. She looked to her sister instead. Elsa seemed surprised by the question. Perhaps she'd never thought to delve that far into Arendelle's history either.

“I've never come across any documents like that,” she admitted. “I suppose if they _do_ exist, they would be in our archives, but... Aren of Arendelle died a very long time ago. It's unclear whether he has any relation to the royal family, or whether he even existed at all. Perhaps the reason there are only children's stories about him would be _because_ he is a children's story.”

“I'm sorry,” Kristoff interjected. “I know I'm going to regret asking this, but... _What's_ the deal with this Aren fellow, exactly?”

Both Anna and Olaf gasped very loudly, causing poor Kristoff to recoil with a disgruntled pout. There was no doubt in Hans's mind that he had indeed come to regret his question.

“You don't know who _Aren_ is?!” Olaf looked outraged for a moment, then turned to Anna with a curious expression. “Come to think of it, I don't know who Aren is either. Can you tell me some stories, Anna? I _do_ love a good story.”

“Oh, Aren was a _hero_ ,” was Anna's immediate reply. “He did a lot of great things for this land, or so the myths go. But his greatest accomplishment was carving out the Arenfjord with a magical sword, creating a place for his people to settle down.”

Olaf said nothing. Elsa said nothing. Hans braced himself, because he could already guess what sort of response would come from Kristoff.

Sure enough, the man snorted, a skeptical frown etched into his face. “ _Seriously_? You're... You're _serious_. A _magical sword_.”

“ _Hey_ , I did say it was a myth!” Anna huffed, sending a glare Kristoff's way. “Besides, what's so weird about a magical sword, Mr. Raised By Magical Rock Trolls?”

“... Touché,” said Kristoff.

Elsa glanced down at the palms of her own hands, just for a split second. Then she stood tall again. “To summarize the myth... An everlasting night had fallen over the lands, forcing people to live on the ocean for hundreds of years. However, as they had nowhere to plant their roots, they became ill. The water spirits told them that the only way to be cured was to return home, but they were all too afraid of the darkness. All except Aren. He stepped out onto the land and scaled the highest mountain. Once at the top, he bargained with night to return the light of the sun. When at last the sun was freed, it gifted Aren a legendary blade known as Revolute. With one mighty swing of that blade, he cut into the edge of the land, creating a path right between the protection of the mountains. The sea flowed in as rock and forest became higher ground. This was the birth of the Arenfjord. His people settled there and became cured of their illness, the first residents of the kingdom then named Arendelle.”

Olaf applauded and even Kristoff looked mildly impressed. That was precisely one of the stories Hans had read. Elsa had added nothing else, which must've meant the royal family held no further details. Or rather, what remained of the royal family to this day held no further details.

“Then, you don't know for certain whether Aren of Arendelle was one of your distant ancestors?” Hans ultimately asked.

“It would be nice, wouldn't it? If he _were_?” A dreamy expression washed over Anna's face. Hans couldn't quite blame her. Stories or no stories, Aren sounded like an amazing man.

Elsa didn't look quite so sold on the idea. If anything, she mirrored some of Kristoff's cynical nature. “Be careful, Anna. Stories are only stories. It's hard to say just what _really_ occurred all those years ago, when Arendelle was first founded.”

“Does it matter? If he's the reason our home exists, he's _definitely_ our hero.”

“Oh Anna...”

“Don't you ' _Oh Anna_ ' me! Aren't _you_ glad Arendelle was founded?”

As they left the library, Anna and Elsa were still bickering while Kristoff was doing a grand imitation of someone who'd chewed off his own tongue. Hans threw one last glance up at the portrait of King Runeard, noting that Arendelle's royal family was filled with heroes of all sorts. It intimidated him to become a part of that lineage some day.

**To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes my little homage to the Forest of Shadows novel, which is an official Disney thing! It's filled with fun lore about Arendelle and also about the fears of the two sisters, so look into it if you're interested. Next up is Frozen Fever, so I will apologize in advance for the awful timing of that chapter. I couldn't skip it, nor would I want to skip it. I can only hope it won't hit too close to home at this time.


	15. Frozen Fever

\---------  
  
_“I'm making today a perfect day for you. I'm making today a blast if it's the last thing I do. For everything you are to me and all you've been through, I'm making today a perfect day for you!”_  
  
\---------  
  
Anna's birthday looked to be a beautiful one. The sky was a vivid blue, interrupted only by the slimmest tracing of white clouds. The temperature was just right. Birds sang beautiful songs and bees were exploring the castle courtyard, their curiosity getting the better of them. Plates, glasses and snacks were already decked out across long tables. Elsa's attention had become centered on an enormous cake. All in all, it looked like the perfect stage for a party and taking it in, Kristoff couldn't help but grin widely.  
  
There was just one problem. A bit of a sickness was moving through the castle.  
  
Kai had been one of the first to be afflicted, ensuring he could no longer help with the preparations and was instead confined to bed. As far as Kristoff could tell, it frustrated the poor man immensely to have to hand over the reins of party planning. Gerda and a few others in the staff were developing a case of the sniffles as well. Kristoff, who had rarely suffered through illness, wasn't too worried that he'd catch anything. What _did_ worry him was the sight of Hans.  
  
The 13th Prince of the Southern Isles had been looking peaky for a few days already, but it seemed he'd reached a new low this morning. When he exited the castle, his walk was more of a wobble and his usually pale complexion was marred with a red nose. The fact that he appeared in the courtyard at this hour, despite the agreement they would all get started at the crack of dawn, didn't help. Kristoff felt himself grimace.  
  
“I'm so sorry I'm late,” Hans stammered to Elsa, whose gaze flicked between him and the cake in a restless manner. His voice sounded awfully hoarse. “I don't know what happened, I... I'll work twice as hard to make up for it.”  
  
“There's no need. We're just about finished,” Elsa told him.  
  
“But-”  
  
“If I could just decide on a cake topper...”  
  
Elsa waved an idle hand and one quick flurry of blue sparkles later, there was a tiny ice sculpture of a playful Anna situated atop the cake. Kristoff instinctively took a few steps closer, admiring the insane amount of detail.  
  
“No... So lonely...” Elsa mused quietly.  
  
After another gesture of the hand, miniature Anna was joined by a miniature Elsa, the both of them wearing their royal gowns. Kristoff felt somewhat insulted that he, Hans, Olaf and Sven were not included, but then, there were only so many toppers one could fit onto a cake. Either way, Elsa still didn't look sold on the image.  
  
“So stiff...” she remarked. Then she turned her attention to Hans, who seemed captivated by the miniatures as well. Or perhaps he'd been spacing out. “Why don't you go help Kristoff with the banner?”  
  
“Oh... Alright.”  
  
Kristoff cringed and quickly turned his attention back to his own chore. He still had two more letters to put to paper. This next N would be yellow, and then he would finish with a red A. Perfect. Definitely a one man job, too. Two if he counted his trusty carrier of paint, who was Sven. Several buckets of different color had been loaded onto the reindeer's antlers for easy access.  
  
“What can I do?” Hans asked him, and when Kristoff looked up, he saw that the man was right by his side.  
  
“What you can _do_ ,” Kristoff began, taking a step backwards, “is sit down. Drink some water. You don't look well at all.”  
  
“I'm perfectly fine,” was Hans's defiant response. Even without the nasal pitch to it, Kristoff wouldn't have accepted that as the truth.  
  
“Sit down,” he tried again.  
  
“No.”  
  
Olaf came waddling towards them, raising a single twiggy hand to the sky. “What Hans means is that if he sits down, he won't have enough energy to get back up again. If he stays on his feet, he'll prooobably be fine. Until he falls over, anyway!”  
  
“ _Olaf_!” Hans looked torn between frustration and alarm at being caught red-handed. He composed himself again soon enough, though. “It's only a light cold. It'll pass.”  
  
Kristoff sighed and put his paint brush down for now, then closed the distance between himself and Hans again. He didn't like what he was about to do, but he knew he had to do it. Drawing in a deep breath to brace himself, he raised a hand to Hans's forehead. By the time the prince attempted to dodge, it was too late, as the back of Kristoff's fingers had already touched down. Things were about to get ugly, souring what would've been the perfect day. Even so, Kristoff couldn't just ignore it.  
  
“A light _cold_? Try the _flu_. You've got a fever,” he stated bluntly.  
  
“No, no, it's nothing. I'll be fine. I just need to find a way to cool down.” Hans looked around aimlessly until his gaze came to rest on Olaf. He crouched down and held out both arms. “How about a nice warm hug, Olaf?”  
  
“I thought you'd never ask!” the snowman cried out. As expected, he jumped into the embrace without even a moment's hesitation.  
  
A sigh of relief came from Hans, who pressed his face into the nook between Olaf's head and what passed for his upper body. For about ten seconds, there was nothing. Then Olaf began to squirm in discomfort.  
  
“Whoah... whoah _whoaaah_... That's awfully warm. Warmer than usual. … _Too warm_!” Olaf's voice reached a sudden high pitch of alarm, his twiggy arms flailing. “ _Hans_! My flurry can't keep up! I'm melting! _Meeelting_! Oh, what a world!”  
  
Kristoff decided to play the hero card and put a stop to the pitiful display. One hand grabbed Hans's collar just behind his neck, the other took one of his arms to try and ease the grip on Olaf's body. “Alright, that's enough. Let go of the snowman, Hans. That's it. Just let go...”  
  
After a bit of a struggle, Hans finally released Olaf. The little guy hopped back as soon as he was able, holding onto his head with both hands to keep it steady. Hans's fever had created the most awkward dip in Olaf's shoulder area. One wave of the hand from Elsa was all it took to restore him to his former glory.  
  
“I'm all for warm hugs, but this was maybe more of a _boiling_ hug? Ooor a _sweltering_ hug? Hah, that's a fun word. Sweltering,” Olaf remarked with a grin. It was good to know he wasn't hurt, or even remotely insulted he'd just been used as a glorified ice pack.  
  
Kristoff carefully guided Hans back to his feet and noted just how much of the weight he had to pull upwards himself. It implied that Olaf had been right and there _wasn't_ enough strength left in Hans to stand up straight on his own. Knowing that, Kristoff made sure to keep a hold on Hans's arm, just in case.  
  
“Stop being stubborn. You should be in bed,” he said, but he hadn't quite realized how menacing he might've looked until Hans withered under his glare. Was that a tremble of the bottom lip? No, that must've been Kristoff's imagination.  
  
The prince glanced towards the ground, reminiscent of Sven after a thorough scolding. “But... It's Anna's birthday...”  
  
The weak protest, along with how miserable a sight Hans had to him, was enough to have Kristoff feel guilty for even suggesting what he just had. There was no other way around it, though. Sick people didn't just magically get better because a party was being held for their true love. It didn't work like that.  
  
“Yes, it's Anna's birthday. Unless you want to give her a week of bed rest as your present, you're going to have to focus on your own health,” he said, though with a bit less force than he'd used before.  
  
“Ugh...”  
  
When the bells began to toll, Kristoff barely took notice of them. What he _did_ hear was Elsa's gasp. “Oh no! It's time!”  
  
“It's time!” Olaf echoed in a delighted manner. Then his face fell into confusion. “Time for what?”  
  
“I have to go wake Anna. Kristoff, get Hans upstairs, please. You can finish the banner later. Olaf, I need you to guard this courtyard.”  
  
Kristoff stifled a groan of dismay while Olaf saluted. “Yes ma'am! Consider it guarded! … What am I guarding it from?”  
  
“Uh... Anything. _Everything_. No one is allowed to come in until Anna and I are here. Nothing is allowed to fall over, nothing is allowed to break... Everything has to stay exactly as it is now, so don't touch anything.” Elsa turned towards the castle, hesitated, then looked back to Olaf. “And don't eat the cake.”  
  
Olaf, whose grubby hand had just extended towards the alluring blue frosting, hastily retracted it again. “But it's an _ice cream cake_...” he said with a pout.  
  
“And it's for Anna,” Elsa said with a light smile.  
  
“… And it's for Anna.”  
  
Olaf hung his head and Elsa raced her way up the castle steps. As she did so, she raised her arm in the oddest of ways and Kristoff could swear he heard a quiet, dainty sneeze. She was gone before he could question it, though.  
  
Now there was one more issue to tend to, along with an awkward position to be in. Kristoff knew Hans wouldn't retreat to bed without a fight, or at least without proper guidance. Elsa had been right to put him in charge of that instead of leaving it to Olaf. Even so, he was bummed he had to do it at all.  
  
“Sven can keep you company, Olaf. … Let's go, then,” he said to Hans, but it turned out not to be so easy.  
  
While the trek through the lower castle halls had been a slow one, traversing the stairwell in the Western wing was now beyond Hans's physical capabilities. Kristoff had to offer physical support in the form of Hans's arm over his shoulder and his own arm around the man's waist. An awkward position, indeed.  
  
Things didn't improve when they finally made it to the bedroom. Once Hans was lowered onto the comfort of his blankets, he seemed awfully tempted to allow himself to fall backwards just like that. But there were boots to take into account, a cravat, a shirt with fancy buttons and all those other things that didn't mix well with bed rest.  
  
“Get changed, alright?” Kristoff told him.  
  
He didn't realize the gravity of the request until Hans began to unbutton his shirt. What with how hot the day was meant to become later, there was nothing but bare chest beneath. Kristoff usually wasn't squeamish about that sort of thing, because despite spending most of his life as the only human in a troll community, he'd shared a room with several boys in the orphanage. But _this_? This was very different. His cheeks burning, he hastily walked towards the window and began to focus all his attention on closing the curtains.  
  
“I can't believe I got sick today of all days...” Hans was murmuring. “I should be there for Anna, just like she was there for _my_ birthday. I was going to cook her dinner.”  
  
“Thaaat seems like a very bad idea right now,” Kristoff said.  
  
“Yes... But I really wanted to. This was the perfect opportunity to show off what I've learned from you. Now I just feel like I'm letting her down...”  
  
Despite better judgment, Kristoff glanced over his shoulder to see Hans's slumped posture. He was still sitting on the side of the bed, head hung low. It seemed like the mere _idea_ of being sick hurt him more than the actual symptoms. Considering what his family was like, that made sense. How many times in his life had Hans already pretended to be fine through illness? What sort of things would've been said to him to accomplish that sort of mindset? It chilled Kristoff just thinking about it.  
  
“Hey. No one will blame you for being sick,” he said, walking back towards the bed.  
  
He considered crouching down so he could weasel his way into Hans's blank stare, considered it some more, then decided he might as well. It didn't change much. Now the prince's gaze was directed towards Kristoff's knees, probably not even seeing them. All that was left to do was for Kristoff to keep talking.  
  
“It's not something you chose, or even anything you can fix right away. Forget about whatever you were supposed to do with this in the Southern Isles. Forcing yourself to keep going through the day only makes it worse. You just need to do what everyone else does, and that's to take your time. Sleep. Drink plenty of water. Once you're better, you can give Anna a _second_ birthday party, dinner and all. She'll love it.”  
  
“You think so...?” Hans asked, finally raising his head again. Now that the curtains were closed, it was a bit more difficult to see the gloom in his expression. What Kristoff _did_ see was the red, feverish glow in Hans's cheeks.  
  
“I _know_ so. Who wouldn't want to celebrate twice, right?”  
  
“Right...” Hans took a moment, then managed a nimble shake of the head. “You're absolutely right. Thank you.”  
  
“You're welcome. Now finish getting changed and get back to sleep.”  
  
Kristoff was just about to rise into a standing position again when something unexpected happened. It was over so fast, he hadn't processed it until it was already too late. Hans had grabbed him by the chin, and while green eyes narrowed in concentration, his thumb ran along just below Kristoff's lips in one quick, rough motion. Then, just like that, the hand was pulled back again.  
  
“Wha-what...?” Kristoff heard himself ask over the loud pounding of his heartbeat, which seemed to echo through his ears somehow.  
  
“You had a bit of paint on your face,” Hans explained, showing off a dark blue smudge on the inside of his thumb. “Don't worry, I've got it. Now you look perfect.”  
  
Stomach squirming worse than ever, Kristoff shot back to his feet and whirled himself towards the door. “I uh. Yeah. Okay. Thanks,” he said stiffly, followed by a “good night”.  
  
He left the room as fast as his feet could carry him, then slowed down as he moved through the corridors, keeping an eye out for Anna and Elsa. The scavenger hunt would be on its way by now, meaning they would be making their way through the castle. Kristoff couldn't risk running into them, or else ruin the surprise for Anna. He snuck back down to where the party, his unfinished banner, Sven and Olaf were waiting.  
  
Those weren't the only things waiting for him.  
  
When Olaf had been told that no one was allowed to come into the courtyard, he hadn't quite listened. But then, maybe whatever was accompanying him didn't count as people. Two small, disturbing snowmen were dancing around him. They didn't have arms or noses like Olaf did, making them look even _more_ surreal. Their tiny lump-of-coal eyes were definitely more soulless too.  
  
“Uhhhh...” was about all Kristoff could think to say. He remained at the top of the castle steps for now.  
  
“Kristoooff!” Olaf called, waving to him. “Come here and meet my new friends! Or maybe they're more like brothers? Yeah, they're little brothers! _This_ is Josh and this is Jonathan! Or at least, that's what I _think_ they're called. They don't seem capable of speech like I am.”  
  
Kristoff frowned and looked towards Sven, who managed the reindeer equivalent of a shrug. When had Elsa decided to make those things? Were they presents for Anna? A bit of a heads up would've been nice. The bad feeling in his gut was solidified when the mini snowmen began to scamper towards the table upon which the cake stood.  
  
“Oh! Oh no no no _no_!” Kristoff called, hurrying down into the courtyard to try and divert the little troublemakers away from all the fragile party gear.  
  
Little did he know, two mini snowmen were only the _beginning_ of the infestation.  
  
\---------  
  
“Surpriiiise!”  
  
“ _Wooow_!”  
  
Anna was literally swept into the crowd by a group of kids and snowmen, and with that, the party was on its way. A job well done by Kristoff, who could finally rest easy and allow all his work to be smashed to tiny bits. No one said the courtyard had to be in pristine condition once Anna was engaged in the festivities, after all.  
  
Thanks to his efforts, the cake had remained unharmed and was now being divided amongst the guests. Even a few of the tiny snowmen received pieces. The creatures were promptly nicknamed Snowgies by Anna, with Olaf's blessing. As it turned out, Elsa had inadvertently brought them into being whenever she sneezed. That sure explained a lot. By now, there must've been over a hundred of them, with several more incoming every few minutes. It made the courtyard even more crowded than it already was, but then... It also made the party that much more fun.  
  
Elsa, who had her arms wrapped around herself, looked to be just as sick as Hans was. Kristoff was amazed he hadn't noticed it that morning. Stupid royals and their tendencies to appear flawless... Anna attempted to usher her sister away from the party, to bed, but Elsa wouldn't have it. She insisted on blowing the birthday bukkehorn, which was either made from the world's largest ram horn or just a strange attempt to recreate one. Her sneeze, amplified through the horn, blasted a huge snowball into the air. Kristoff watched it shoot over the fjord with no implication it would lose altitude any time soon, having him wonder just where it might eventually land. He supposed it didn't matter.  
  
Then Elsa was taken into the castle, but the fun didn't stop there. Anna returned within ten minutes' time, mingling with the guests and thanking them all for showing up. She danced with her friends, played with some of the Snowgies, ate as much cake as she could in only a few bites and generally looked to be having the time of her life. It made her all the more beautiful in Kristoff's eyes. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, he still didn't know.  
  
It was inevitable that she eventually reached him, glowing and bouncing from all the excitement. “Kristoooff, what are you doing, hiding out in this corner? Come and join in on the fun!”  
  
“I've had about enough fun for today,” he replied dryly. “You wouldn't believe how rowdy those Snowgies can get. I spent over an hour trying to keep them in line while we waited for you.”  
  
“Really? Hah... Thank you, then! But that still doesn't excuse anything. Come on, let's _dance_!” she said, holding out a hand.  
  
Anna's bright smile and tender eyes were hypnotizing, ensuring Kristoff almost accepted the gesture. _Almost_. He stopped himself just in time. “Uh. No. Still don't dance,” he replied.  
  
“But it's a request made by _me_! The birthday girl! You can't deny a birthday request, remember?” She stamped a foot down on the ground and reflexively, Kristoff braced himself for ice. Elsa had trained him just a bit too well in that regard.  
  
“You _really_ don't want this. Trust me. Hans tried to teach me and it did not end well.”  
  
“He did? When was this?”  
  
“After Christmas. It was an absolute disaster, let me tell you. But, you know, it's fine. I'll just play a birthday song for you on my lute later, deal?”  
  
Anna hung her head backwards, exasperated. “Ugh. _Fiiine_. But you owe me one _heck_ of a song, Mister!”  
  
“Only the best for you,” Kristoff said, and he meant it.  
  
“I guess I'll just have to ask _Hans_ for a dance.” Anna turned and began to scan the crowd. “Hmmm... Wait, where _is_ Hans?”  
  
“In bed. He's got the flu, just like Elsa.”  
  
A violent start, then Anna fixed him with an alarmed stare. “Wait, _what_?! You mean... He hasn't been here this whole time?!”  
  
“He _wanted_ to. He really did. I was the one who forced him to...” Kristoff's words trailed off into nothingness. There was no point continuing the rest of the sentence, as Anna had already run off. She dashed up the steps and into the castle, leaving her spectacular party behind.  
  
\---------  
  
Anna couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. How could she not have _noticed_ Hans was absent from the party? That should've been the _first_ thing to notice, before the Snowgies and even before the enormous cake. Sure, her mind had been filled with worry for Elsa. And sure, she'd gotten overwhelmed with sights and sounds the moment the courtyard doors opened. Sure, Kristoff had somehow ended up in a kneeling position right in front of her, holding onto the cake as if he were offering it to her like an engagement ring. Sure, the sight of it had caused her heart to race.  
  
This was _Hans_ she was talking about. He would've noticed it right away, had their roles been reversed. She was the worst true love ever, wasn't she?  
  
Now she stood before his door, one hand holding a glass of water while the other was raised, unable to rap against the wood. What if he was upset with her? What if he somehow knew she'd partied on without him? What if he was so deeply asleep he would hate to be disturbed? What if he _wanted_ her to enjoy the party without him?  
  
“ _Go away, Anna_ ,” the words always spoken by Elsa in the past, were ringing through her head.  
  
No. No, she couldn't be afraid of that sort of thing anymore. Elsa had always turned her away because she'd feared for her safety and Hans... Hans would _never_ turn her away. He'd told her that more than once.  
  
A deep breath, then she knocked. No answer came. She tried again. Still nothing. Finally, she took hold of the handle and pushed the door open, peeking through the crack. It was dark in the bedroom, the curtains drawn and the lanterns unlit. Still, a single layer of fabric couldn't keep out _all_ the sunlight, and through the invading glow, she saw a silhouette in bed.  
  
“Hans...?” she called. “... I'm coming in.”  
  
And she did. When she snapped the door shut behind herself, Hans rolled himself towards the door. He rubbed at his face, failed to stop a yawn and finally squinted her way. “... Anna?” he asked, and his voice sounded so hoarse it was more of a croak.  
  
“Hey... How are you feeling?”  
  
“Not... Not too bad...” He ran his fingers past his eyes again, seeming perfectly calm, until all of a sudden, he _wasn't_. He tried to sit up, only to flinch and fall back into his pillow. “Gggh...! The party- Is it over? Did I miss it?”  
  
A sad smile tugged at Anna's lips. “Don't worry about the party. It's not important now.”  
  
She set the glass of water down on the bed stand and took a chair, moving it to the side of Hans's bed, but her intentions were caught immediately. Hans waved a hand to get her attention, shaking his head the best he could. “Don't. You shouldn't be in here. You'll get sick too.”  
  
“I just spent over an hour with Elsa, and I'm going to take care of her later. She's just as bad off as you are. If there's a point of no return, I've already passed it, so I might as well spend some time with _you_ now,” she declared, and with that, she sat down in the chair.  
  
Hans groaned under his breath. “I'm sorry...”  
  
“What are you apologizing for, silly? It's not your fault you're sick.”  
  
“... Did you enjoy the party, at least?”  
  
“Of course! It was beautiful,” Anna said. She wished she could've added that it'd been missing one very important person, but then... If Kristoff hadn't mentioned Hans, when _would_ she have realized? Overcome with guilt, she tried a different tack. “You wouldn't believe what was waiting for me. Did you know Elsa can make more living snowmen just by _sneezing_? There were so _many_ of them! We're going to have to find a good home for them later, maybe take them to Elsa's old ice palace in the mountains... I think they'll feel right at home there. Anyway, we named them Snowgies because they're- well, you know. They basically came from Elsa's nose, except not _literally_. That would be gross.”  
  
Hans was silent, his brow furrowed. Anna assumed that maybe her story was difficult to believe, but when he finally spoke, it was more in wonder than anything else. “Snowgies... Is _that_ what this is?” he asked, taking hold of his blanket and folding it back with one slow movement of the arm.  
  
The first thing Anna saw was bare chest. The next thing she saw was the waistline of undergarment, a few inches of it visible above the blanket. Her face exploded into mad blushing. Then, finally, her gaze landed on what was lying just _beside_ the bare chest, curled up without a care in the world. It was another Snowgie.  
  
“Aaaah! How did that get in here?!” She smacked a hand against her forehead, frustrated. All this time, she'd been sure every single Snowgie had gathered with its fellows in the courtyard.  
  
“I don't quite know. I believe I may have heard you and Elsa pass by my door at one point, and a few minutes later, this little guy was clambering onto my bed. He seemed very cold. I lifted my blanket up for him and he made himself right at home. Honestly, I believed it to be a fever dream.” Hans smiled and moved his hand down towards the Snowgie, prodding it with a single finger. “The cold does feel awful nice right about now.”  
  
“Oh geez... I didn't know Elsa could make Snowgies appear in other rooms... We'll have to search the castle again before we take them all away.”  
  
Anna reached down to cradle the Snowgie with both hands, lifting it up from the mattress. It began to squirm in her hold immediately. It seemed like it _really_ wanted to go back to relaxing in that nice, warm pit beneath the blankets, beside a fever-ridden body. She supposed that just like Olaf, a Snowgie might be interested in heat.  
  
“Do you _have_ to take them all away?” Hans asked, pulling her out of her thoughts again.  
  
“Oh, well...” She looked from the squirming Snowgie to her boyfriend, who seemed genuinely disappointed. “I guess not? As long as it doesn't cause any trouble, there's no harm in letting one stay.”  
  
As soon as she set the Snowgie down again, it scampered back to Hans and cuddled right up against his chest. Anna felt a sudden pang of jealousy. She couldn't stay offended for too long, though. It was awful cute, and what made it even cuter was Hans's tender smile. She spent a good long while just staring at the mere sight, imprinting it into her memory. Then the mood was lightened some more, as Hans took hold of the Snowgie and set it down on his forehead. That must've been a very comfy position as well, because the little creature became _delighted_. As for Hans, he breathed a barely audible sigh of relief.  
  
Anna frowned. “It's strange... When we returned summer to Arendelle, Olaf began to melt soon after. If it weren't for his flurry, he would've been lost to us. _Lots_ of Elsa's creations melt away over time. But these _Snowgies_... They can withstand a lot of heat, can't they?”  
  
“That _is_ odd,” Hans said, prodding the Snowgie again. It seemed undisturbed and, indeed, unmeltable. “You'll have to ask Elsa about it when she's recovered.”  
  
“I will. In the meantime, did you want to name it?” she asked.  
  
“Olly,” was Hans's immediate answer.  
  
“Olly?”  
  
“He's like a smaller version of Olaf. So... Olly.”  
  
“I like it. It fits him,” she said. A pause, then her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Wait, how do you know Olly's a boy?”  
  
“Um... It's just a feeling I have, I suppose. Though, you don't mind being addressed as a boy, do you Olly?” Hans asked the Snowgie.  
  
The response, if indeed it was one, came in the form of a wide smile and squeaking sounds that were just like giggles. With that, Olly fell backwards, off Hans's head and into the pillow, tiny little legs kicking at the air. It was _adorable_.  
  
“I suppose that's a no for now,” Hans said with a shrug. “If he changes his mind later, he can let me know.”  
  
“That's fair.”  
  
Hans didn't object when Olly scampered back down towards his chest. Instead, he raised the blanket up to his shoulders again, giving the Snowgie all the comfort he could ask for. Anna, in turn, stroked her fingers through Hans's hair, brushing some of it back. He really did have an awful fever. Why hadn't she noticed anything yesterday?  
  
“III... am going to let you get more sleep,” she decided. “But I'll be back later! With chicken soup! And I'll feed it to you!”  
  
“Anna, you don't need to-”  
  
“I _want_ to.”  
  
It wasn't just that she wanted it. In a way, she _had_ to do this for Hans. She had to be absolutely sure he was taken care of. She'd have to look after _Elsa_ too, but that was fine. She could divide her time evenly between the two and then, nothing could possibly go wrong. Hans would get better, Elsa would get better... And if she got sick for a little bit as a result, that was fine. She would gladly be stuck in bed for a few days if it meant Hans and Elsa were up and about instead.  
  
“But it's your birthday...” Hans murmured.  
  
“Exactly. You getting healthy again is the gift I want most, so let's make it happen.”  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	16. The Anniversary Surprise

\---------  
  
_“I know it all ends tomorrow, so it has to be today! Cause for the first time in forever... Nothing's in my way!”_  
  
\---------  
  
Tonight was another very special, very exciting night. People from all over were flocking to Arendelle's castle, wearing their finest clothes and their most sincere smiles, ready to honor their beloved queen.  
  
Anna couldn't quite believe that it'd already been a full year since Elsa's coronation. A full year since she reconnected with her sister and learned of those amazing magical powers. A full year since she met the love of her life- and possibly that _other_ love of her life. A full year since Olaf was born. A full year since the castle gates were opened and she was allowed to walk between her citizens, befriending every single one of them.  
  
It'd also been a full year since she became engaged, only for that engagement to be delayed until the time was right. Was it right today? A year of courtship was perhaps still not enough time, but then... She knew Hans was meant to be by her side forever. What fun it was to fantasize about Hans whisking her away to the waterfall where he'd proposed the first time, offering a renewed request to marry him on the very eve of their anniversary... Ahhh, how romantic!  
  
No. She shouldn't get her hopes up for something like that.  
  
Not only was it unlikely, things were different from a year ago. _Kristoff_ was a factor, now. If Hans _were_ to propose tonight, what would she say? What _should_ she say? Not a single answer seemed fair. If anything, she would have to hope that Hans _wouldn't_ propose tonight.  
  
Elsa's advice from months earlier still haunted her. The three of them needed to _talk_ about this. She'd been procrastinating all this time, worried that such a conversation would break the delicate balance they currently had. What if Hans became upset that Anna had feelings for Kristoff? What if Kristoff became upset, believing that Anna would never choose him? What if Hans and Kristoff got into a huge fight over her?  
  
But they had to do it soon. If they didn't, Anna could lose everything for certain. They had to do it _tonight_ , before this whole thing could come to an awful conclusion.  
  
Not just yet. Right now, everything revolved around Elsa. People were gathering in the Great Hall, where Elsa would soon make her appearance. There would be a speech and the choir would sing for her. After that, everyone would move out into the courtyard for a party. The entire _city_ would be partying, she was sure.  
  
For now, she stood waiting near the door to greet some of the guests. The royal tailors had designed another new dress for her, this one a gentle mixture of aquamarine and light green colors complemented by golden trims. The skirt of the dress was so long it reached just past her ankles and while it was also a light green, an additional layer of sheer fabric fell over it, some colorful embroidery highlighting the bottom. Her hair had been rolled up, held in place with braids similar to a year ago. Several colorful strands of ribbon had been worked into it as well. They tickled the back of her neck whenever she moved her head.  
  
Hans was by her side, both an escort and support. His outfit matched her own in colors, though with some touches of white mingled in there. While most of his wardrobe was far less formal these days, the anniversary had warranted a return of shoulder pads, tassels and gloves. It looked a bit stiff, Anna supposed, but she also knew that it'd been even stiffer a year ago. It hadn't bothered her back then, so why would it bother her now?  
  
What pulled the balance back to a lighthearted feeling was Olly. The Snowgie had grown fond of riding around on Hans's shoulder and had been gifted a small blue bandana, cementing that he was one of the family now. Sure enough, Olly was settled on Hans's shoulder today as well, occasionally being tickled and prodded by anyone caught in his endearing little stare. It seemed _everyone_ loved Olly at first sight.  
  
They watched guest after guest trickle into the hall, Anna's eyes scanning the crowd. Finally, when it was almost time for the ceremony to begin, she spotted that one person she'd been looking for. _Of course_ he'd be running late.  
  
Kristoff looked a bit ragged. Uncomfortable, even. That clashed incredibly with his clothes, which were supposed to radiate confidence and elegance, but then... Anna supposed the clothes were the problem. There was a red, knee-length jacket with metal cufflinks, a striped blue shirt with a high collar, a shiny brooch by his throat, a purple sash around his waist... The only thing _remotely_ Kristoff about it would've been the black leather boots, though they were missing the usual upward curl of the toes. His hair had been parted to the side and seemed unwilling to cooperate with that notion, as some strands kept drooping over his forehead.  
  
Still, though. Even if it wasn't Kristoff's usual style, he looked _really_ handsome.  
  
“ _There_ you are!” she called, hurrying towards him with Hans in tow.  
  
“Sorry. I couldn't really get the sash to...” Kristoff tugged at the accessory in question with a single finger, then seemed to realize he shouldn't risk anything. “Well, it doesn't matter. Um. Is this good enough for the celebration?”  
  
“You look _amazing_ ,” said Hans.  
  
The compliment was so very abrupt and breathless, Anna couldn't help but look his way. There was something of a sparkle in his eyes. Hans must've _really_ enjoyed fashionable make-overs. Olly was squeaking as well, his tiny legs wiggling up and down with excitement. Kristoff raised a hand to his face, but that didn't quite hide his blush or the way his eyebrows furrowed. He must've been very embarrassed. How cute!  
  
“Uhhh... Thanks,” Kristoff muttered.  
  
“He's right. You _do_ look amazing,” Anna chimed in, taking hold of Kristoff's arm and giving it a squeeze. That only made his face redder. Now feeling guilty, she whirled round to face the hall. “Aaah, isn't this exciting? It's been a year since we all met a-and... and _saved_ Elsa and Arendelle. I think maybe everything that happened back then was fate, don't you?”  
  
“Mmh, I don't know... Some of it may have been fate, but some of it came from a group of rock trolls and their meddling,” Hans pointed out with a wry smile.  
  
Anna made a disgusted face at the mere mention of those underhanded creatures. As for Kristoff, he immediately drew back, looking like he was in even more discomfort than before. It was a sore topic for him as well, she knew. The trolls had been his family and she couldn't imagine what it must've been like to discover, after all those years, that they were the bad guys.  
  
So she stood tall, her shoulders squared and a confident smile tugging at her lips. “And it was fate that we put a stop to that meddling. It just goes to show that true love conquers all!”  
  
“That it does,” Hans said. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he did so, and she felt instantly more at ease.  
  
She could do this. She _had_ to do this. It was most fair for everyone if she were just truthful about her feelings, and perhaps Kristoff would be truthful as well, and Hans would appreciate their honesty. She drew in a deep breath through her nose before speaking.  
  
“Listen, I was wondering if I could speak to you both once the party's died down a bit. We can go to the inner garden and sit by the pond, away from all the commotion.”  
  
“Are we in trouble?” was Kristoff's immediate query. Whether it was a joke or a genuine concern of his was unclear.  
  
“Not at all! I just want to-”  
  
The rest of Anna's sentence was cut off by Kai, who stood before Elsa's throne to call for everyone's attention. The ceremony was beginning. A hush fell over the crowd as it rearranged itself, everyone turning to face the podium. Anna could tell from the _Look_ that Kai shot her way she wasn't in the place she was meant to be. As Elsa's sister and a member of the royal family, she was expected to stand front and center, along with Hans.  
  
“Oooh, already?” She smoothed out the skirt of her dress, then raised a hand to her hair to be certain all the locks were still in place. “We have to go. But don't worry, alright? Just enjoy the ceremony and the party. We'll see you later.”  
  
Hans lifted his little snow friend from his shoulder with both hands and held him out for Kristoff to take. “Will you take care of Olly, please? I'll come and fetch him once the formalities are over.”  
  
“Oh, uh... Sure?” Kristoff cast a doubtful stare down at the Snowgie. Not that Anna could understand why he would possibly have reservations. Olly squeaked and thrashed around in Kristoff's big palms, as adorable as could be.  
  
“Thank you,” said Hans. With that, he took Anna's hand and she led him towards the throne in as graceful a sprint as she could manage.  
  
\---------  
  
Kristoff tugged at his collar, just as he had been doing on and off for ten minutes already. He didn't like silk pants, fancy shoes or regal jackets... Or ceremonies or polite conversations, or manners for the sake of manners. He also didn't like that once again, Sven had been refused entry into the castle. His best pal should've _been_ here. But then, Sven probably didn't like ceremonies either. Maybe he was better off in the stables.  
  
One glance out the window told him the sun had already set. Tonight was the night. He was going to have to tell Anna and Hans about his meetings with the trolls. Delaying it any longer wouldn't help him any. The trolls had progressed about as far as he could expect them to. Now, if he could just convince Anna to go see them one more time, they could apologize in earnest to her _and_ to Hans.  
  
Was it a weird coincidence that Anna wanted to speak to them both privately? Definitely. But it was also the perfect opportunity. Almost like fate was _willing_ him to come clean about the whole thing tonight.  
  
Now he just needed to sit through the boring hymns and stiff traditions.  
  
He didn't know what Elsa's coronation ceremony had been like a year ago. What he did know was that she must not have enjoyed it very much, unlike today. As she stood there, facing her people, she looked like the epitome of composure and grace. She was their queen. Anna and Hans stood nearby and while the Prince of the Southern Isles was very good at keeping still, the Princess of Arendelle was _not_. Anna's eyes kept shooting across the room, her fingers fiddling with one another. Kristoff thought it was kind of adorable.  
  
As if sensing his feelings, Olly began to squirm around in his hand. _Why_ had Hans left this guy in his care? What bothered Kristoff wasn't that he disliked Olly, because he didn't. It was the tangle of bad memories the other Snowgies had left. These little creatures were as mischievous as could be and even one could do a _lot_ of damage.  
  
“ _Stop it_ ,” he hissed down at Olly.  
  
But the Snowgie didn't stop anything. He weaseled his way out of Kristoff's grip and dropped down to the floor. Kristoff dipped into a crouch, attempting a quick snatch, but it was too late. Olly scuttled out the door behind him.  
  
Swallowing a few swears, Kristoff truly was caught between a rock and a hard place now. He could either stay for the rest of the ceremony to show his support to Anna and Elsa, or he could do what Hans had asked of him. Casting a glance towards the podium, it became clear that nobody had noticed a thing. Everyone's attention was on Elsa, while Elsa's attention was on some dusty old relics. … Well, nobody would miss him here.  
  
Slipping out the Great Hall, he peered down the corridor just in time to see Olly round a corner at the very end of it. How could Snowgies be so _fast_? Their legs were _tiny_!  
  
As he sped after his target, he began to realize that Olly was headed straight for the courtyard, where party gear had been set up. Delicate glassware and china was settled atop long, pull-able tablecloth. Once more, memories of Anna's birthday roiled in the back of his head. Not again, _not again_...!  
  
Blind to anything else, he dashed through the castle's main doors and into the courtyard. Just as he reached the bottom of the steps, he tripped over something quite solid. His arms flailed through the air, unable to save him as his entire weight keeled forward. He only _just_ managed to catch himself with both hands, the tip of his nose mere inches from stone tiles. A strained breath escaped him. Three seconds later, Olly jumped onto the back of his head, squeaking loudly. _He was being mocked_...  
  
Jaws grit, he sat up and turned to face whatever it was he'd tripped over, because last time he checked, there weren't any bricks or boulders at the bottom of the steps.  
  
It wasn't either of those things.  
  
He was staring straight into the eyes of a young rock troll. _Pebble_ , to be precise. While he was met with a smile, he didn't return it. How he wished for this to be a bad dream... But the pain in both his shin and his hands told him otherwise. Silence stretched on for about nine seconds. Then Kristoff's composure broke.  
  
“What are you _doing_ here?!” he half spat, half _whispered_ , because even though there was no one else in the courtyard, he was worried that somehow, someone might overhear a conversation that shouldn't be happening in the first place.  
  
Pebble giggled. “Humans look funny when they fall! ...Oh, but I shouldn't be laughing at their pain, right? I'm sorry, Kristoff.”  
  
“ _What_... are you _doing_... here?” Kristoff demanded a second time.  
  
“I came to congratulate Queen Elsa! An anniversary is a very important thing for humans, right? Like birthdays?”  
  
Kristoff groaned and shook his head. “Well, yes... But you can't just come barging in here like this.”  
  
“Isn't the whole kingdom invited?”  
  
“I- Ah... I guess it is, but I don't think anyone's expecting a troll to show up.”  
  
“I thought you told Queen Elsa that you were teaching us about humans?”  
  
“Sure, but I haven't told _Anna_ yet. She's still really mad at you- at _all_ of you.”  
  
“So I should go apologize to Princess Anna?”  
  
Pebble turned and moved one grainy foot towards the steps. Kristoff hastily scrambled forward to grab him, lifting him up from the ground. _Oof_ , he was getting heavy. One of these days, Kristoff would no longer be able to carry him. Olly, still every bit the troublemaker, ran around in front of Kristoff, hopping up and down to try and bump his head against Pebble's toes. That was just great.  
  
“ _Don't_ ,” he said, revolving Pebble in his hands so he could peer into the young troll's eyes. “I know you mean well. Really, I do. But you can't talk to Anna yet. Not until I've prepared her for this.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Well, because... Because if she just suddenly _sees_ you here, she might get scared. Or angry.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because she might assume you're here to hurt someone.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Kristoff's face fell. “... You're just going to keep asking “why” until I cave, aren't you?”  
  
“Why do you ask?” was Pebble's innocent response.  
  
Sighing, Kristoff stood up straight and began to carry the troll away from the castle. “I need to get you out of the grounds before anyone sees you. Did you even tell the others you were coming here?”  
  
“Of course not! A celebration comes with surprise parties, so I didn't tell _anyone_. That's what makes it a surprise, right?”  
  
“... You sure surprised _me_.”  
  
“Hurray!”  
  
Kristoff had just made it halfway through the courtyard, passing by decked tables, when he heard a shout from behind him. It was _Olaf_. Immediately, he froze in his tracks and his heart began to pump three times faster than usual- or so it _felt_.  
  
“Kristoooff! Where are you going?! We haven't even started the party yet!” the snowman had called. Not only that, Olaf was running down the steps to follow him.  
  
His body so tense his muscles ached, he slowly turned to face his demise. There was no hiding the troll he was still holding with both hands. “I uh... Well, you see, funny story...”  
  
“What are you doing with that _rock_?” Olaf asked.  
  
Kristoff looked down at the young troll to see that he was, indeed, holding a perfectly round, smooth rock now. Pebble had camouflaged himself. In the heat of the moment, Kristoff had forgotten trolls could do that.  
  
He gulped, then looked back up to Olaf. “There's a perfectly good explanation.”  
  
“Is that a gift for Elsa?” Olaf squinted, then shook his head and lowered his voice to a deep, sensitive whisper. “Kristoff, friend, I hate to tell you this, but... Humans don't like rocks as much as you think they do.”  
  
“Oh! Um. Really? If that's how it is, I guess I should get rid of this. Right now. Outside the castle,” Kristoff stammered.  
  
But Olaf wasn't listening. Olly had come running up to him, bounding around with far more energy than a snow creature should be allowed to have. Olaf held out a hand to him. “Hi little broootheeer! Are you keeping Kristoff company out here? Oooh, you're such a good friend to him. Yes you _are_! Are you ready to party? The ceremony's over, so everyone's coming out now.”  
  
“Everyone's...?” Kristoff repeated, stunned.  
  
Sure enough, the sound of chatter grew ever louder and soon after, a flock of people came striding through the castle doors. They populated the courtyard so fast, it was really a bit overwhelming. Kristoff looked towards the gates leading into the city, attempted to take one brave step, then heard Anna calling his name.  
  
In a panic, he stashed the motionless Pebble underneath the table by his side, where the little troll would be hidden by the tablecloth. Then he hastily stood up straight again, forcing a grin as he whirled around to face not only Anna, but Hans as well.  
  
“Heeey! _Hey_! _There_ you are. Outside already. I uh... thought you might linger in the Great Hall for a little longer,” he said awkwardly.  
  
Anna laughed at that suggestion. “Why would we do that? The party's out here!”  
  
“Kai really outdid himself, didn't he?” Hans remarked, looking around the courtyard. Then he leaned down to scoop up Olly, who'd been darting around so close to the tablecloth that Kristoff feared his cover might've been blown. Luckily, Hans failed to see the 'rock' hidden beneath the table and instead focused solely on the Snowgie. “Hey buddy. Did you behave yourself?”  
  
Kristoff's first instinct was to say that Olly hadn't behaved himself at all. There were other priorities, though. “Yeah, he was very sweet. Uh. Listen, I just remembered I forgot-”  
  
His halfhearted muttering failed to reach its destination. Another hush fell over the crowd as everyone, Anna and Hans included, turned to face the castle doors. Elsa stood atop the steps, watching over them all. While she was wearing a fancy gown with a long cloak that trailed along the ground behind her, that sight didn't last much longer. She removed her gloves and handed them to Kai. Next, she freed her hair from its tight constraints, allowing her braid to fall over her shoulder. She unfastened the cloak, allowed it to fall and waved a single hand. The colors of her gown changed from purple and black to varying shades of blue. In the span of ten seconds, she'd transformed into a completely different person. This was the Elsa Kristoff had spent time with over the past year.  
  
Everyone in the courtyard applauded.  
  
“That's _my sister_!” Anna cried out.  
  
And that was it. Kristoff's last chance to move Pebble out of the courtyard without raising questions slipped away, like a candle flickering out in a strong draft. As Elsa moved down the steps, the party began and guests bustled about all over the place. Kristoff could only hope that the young troll understood he would have to remain hidden for now. Still, he'd never wanted a party to end as fast as he did at this moment.  
  
\---------  
  
Anna encouraged Kristoff to try a few snacks. Hans challenged him to some games which had clearly been set up for children. Olaf came riding in on Sven and nobody batted an eye at the reindeer in their midst. A few kids had even put on a play to recreate the events of last year's coronation, paper mache ice castle and all. It would've been a perfect evening, were Kristoff's attention not constantly drawn towards the place where he'd stashed Pebble.  
  
Half an hour into the party, Olly knocked over a few champagne glasses and was immediately forgiven. An hour into the party, everyone suddenly burst into a chorus of Happy Birthday for Olaf. Two hours into the party, Sven started to sniff around near the incriminating tablecloth and Kristoff had to hastily tug him away from there.  
  
Then, finally, the guests began to depart. Anna and Elsa became occupied with thanking them for a pleasant evening, as well as wishing them a good night. Olly was taken to bed by Olaf, who announced that 'young snowmen needed their rest'. Hans announced he was going for a quick walk and would meet them at the inner garden later. _Right_ , Kristoff thought vaguely, they were supposed to have a talk there. He was going to have to put off his announcement about the trolls, as it left a bitter taste in his mouth just thinking about it now.  
  
With everyone distracted, it was the perfect opportunity to sneak Pebble out of the castle. He pretended to drop a pastry and crouched down to peer beneath the tablecloth. Instantly, his vision became black with fright. There was nothing there.  
  
When had Pebble left his hiding place? More importantly, where had he wandered off to? Had anyone spotted him? Well, surely not. Someone would've _screamed_ , because Anna's personal feelings aside, the people of Arendelle had never come across a rock troll before.  
  
He sidled over to the castle gates and peered out over the bridge. Nothing. Then he headed over to Sven's stable. Nothing there, either. Anna and Elsa were still distracted by the last few stragglers, with no suspicious moving rocks anywhere around there. Kristoff's gaze swept the courtyard and he wondered vaguely whether trolls had the magical ability to vanish into thin air. To become invisible, or maybe to travel to another area without even raising a single foot. … No, he would've known if they could do something so convenient. With no other options left to him, he began to walk _around_ the castle grounds. Hans would've strolled along here not too long ago, he realized.  
  
Then the possibility hit him and he broke into a sprint. All the way to the inner garden he ran, wishing with all his might that he was _wrong_.  
  
But he wasn't. He heard an alarmed shout of “ _WHAT?!_ ” just before reaching his destination. As soon as he entered the garden, his heart sank. Hans was standing beside the pond, his eyes fixed on the troll right before him. It was clear from both Hans's recoiling stance and the horror on his face that this was _not_ a pleasant reunion. And why would it be? The trolls had done a bit too much damage to him personally.  
  
“ _No_ no nono _nonooo_...!” Kristoff dashed forward to position himself between the two, hoping beyond hope he could prevent more damage. Then he stared down at Hans, _desperate_ to save the situation. “ _What_ did he say to you?!”  
  
Hans seemed startled by the question. “He... Ah... apologized for manipulating my head and attempting to murder me.”  
  
“That's right!” Pebble chimed in. “You told me not to apologize to Princess Anna, so I apologized to Prince Hans instead!”  
  
“I am _so sorry_ ,” Kristoff blurted out immediately. “He wasn't supposed to be here tonight! But he wanted to congratulate Elsa and that's sweet, really, but the _worst_ timing, so I had to hide him. If Anna saw him...”  
  
“... She would explode,” Hans said, finishing Kristoff's sentence perfectly.  
  
“Well, yes. I wanted to smuggle him out of the courtyard after the party, but he snuck off when I wasn't looking. Please, don't tell anyone. He's harmless, I swear.”  
  
Hans was silent for a long moment, peering down at the troll, who was peeking out behind Kristoff's legs. “Well... His apology did seem genuine. And he's awfully cute.”  
  
“Tee hee! Thank you!” Pebble squeaked, head ducked sideways, hands folded behind his back and one of his big toes digging into the dirt.  
  
A puff of breath escaped from Kristoff's lungs and he instantly felt a whole lot better. This was good. One down, and with Hans on his side, Anna would be more willing to listen. When the moment came, they might need to rope Elsa into the conversation too, but this was enough progress to last them a while.  
  
Hans looked like he was about to ask a question. Unfortunately, any opportunity was cut off by a loud scream of “ _troooooll_!”  
  
They whirled around to see Anna running into the garden as well, but unlike Hans, she was not terrified by the sight of the troll. Instead, she was on the offensive. She sprinted straight over to her boyfriend and stood before him, glaring the troll down. It was as if she were attempting to serve as a bodyguard against something which had no intention of attacking.  
  
“ _Get back_! If you want to touch Hans, you'll have to go through _me_!” she shouted.  
  
Pebble blinked up at her, confused.  
  
“Whoah whoah _whoah_.” Kristoff raised both hands defensively. “He's not here to hurt Hans. He's not here to hurt _anyone_. He just wanted to apologize.”  
  
“And I'm supposed to _believe_ that? After everything the trolls have already _done_?! It's just some kind of trick!”  
  
Kristoff sighed and picked Pebble up from the ground. “Look at this little guy. Do you really think he's capable of trickery?”  
  
“... _Hey_!” Pebble squeaked, now offended. Kristoff thought that was exactly the wrong response to have.  
  
“Why are you _defending_ him?” Anna snapped at him. “You _know_ what these monsters are capable of!”  
  
And that was exactly the wrong response as well. Anger bubbled inside Kristoff's chest and he shouted back without even thinking. “Don't call them _monsters_! They're my _family_!”  
  
“You... You still believe that?” Anna asked, torn between surprise and suspicion for a brief moment. Then she settled on suspicion for sure, because her eyes narrowed in the most malicious of ways. “Wait, is that where you've been disappearing to at night? Have you been going to see the trolls in secret?”  
  
“I-”  
  
“How long has this been going on?!”  
  
“Uhhh... Since February? But I _had_ to, because Bulda-”  
  
“You've been going to see the trolls for almost _half a year_ now and you didn't _tell us_?!”  
  
“No- I mean- I got permission from Elsa, so-”  
  
“Elsa _knew_ about this?!”  
  
It wasn't until Kristoff saw the icy cold in Anna's eyes, along with her curled fists and grit jaws, that he realized he'd just dug a grave for himself in only a few sentences. It was a grave so very deep, he could no longer see a way out. Hans looked entirely too stunned to be of any help and he knew for a fact that Pebble would only aggravate the situation further, so he made one last attempt to talk himself out of this.  
  
“Anna, please listen,” he began, and immediately took note of the high pitch in his voice. “I was going to tell you. I just needed some time. But you have to believe me; they can learn. They can _change_. I've been teaching them all about right and wrong, and I think if you could see the progress they've made-”  
  
It was no good. Anna cut across him so fiercely, anything else died in the back of his throat. “ _Kristoff_. Don't you get it? They're _manipulating_ you, just like they manipulated Hans. How could you still trust them after all the horrible things they've done?”  
  
_Don't say it. Don't say it. Don'tsayitdon'tsayitdon't-_  
  
“Oh, I don't know. Maybe in the same way you still trusted your sister after she caused a huge blizzard and left everyone in Arendelle to freeze to death?”  
  
Damn. He'd said it.  
  
The effect was instantaneous. Anna looked as if she'd been slapped across the face, Hans's jaw dropped and Pebble uttered a quiet “ooooh...!” A long silence followed. Kristoff could hear himself swallow. He was in deep trouble now.  
  
Anna pulled herself together again and this time, her attitude was worse than her unchained anger. It was even worse than grief or defeat. Despite the way she hung her head, she hissed at him through her teeth.  
  
“Get out.”  
  
“Anna, I didn't mean-”  
  
“ _Get out_!” she shouted. “Right now! Take that troll and get out of my sight!”  
  
Any more protest was pointless; Kristoff could hear it in Anna's voice and see it on her face. He should've told her sooner. Why had he waited this long?! But then, even if he _had_ eased her into it, would she have listened? She sure hadn't listened to reason _now_.  
  
His chest clenching and his shoes feeling like lead, he turned and left the inner garden.  
  
\---------  
  
Hans had lied. … Sort of. Was withholding information the same as lying? It sure felt like it. But then, the situation had escalated so fast, Hans couldn't have corrected himself even if he'd wanted to. Kristoff had walked off and for a long time, Hans had showered all his attention on Anna. She'd been beside herself, and still _was_. She likely wouldn't be back to her usual, cheerful self for a while. There was nothing else Hans could do for her, though. No matter how much he'd tried to comfort her or assure her that Kristoff hadn't meant it like that, she wouldn't listen. She'd retreated to her room and now Hans was wandering the castle grounds by himself in the dead of night. He'd follow the example and crawl into bed, if only his mind weren't reeling.  
  
Kristoff had asked what the troll had said to him, and Hans had mentioned the apology. That wasn't _all_ the troll had said. In fact, it was the words _following_ the apology that haunted Hans even over an hour after they'd been uttered.  
  
“ _Please don't be mad! We understand now that what we did was bad. We understand that every human who's done nothing wrong deserves to be happy, just like Kristoff does. So you deserve to be happy too._ ”  
  
“ _Ah... I suppose that's one way of putting it. If you truly mean it, then I'll forgive you._ ”  
  
“ _Good! Kristoff will be so happy to hear that! He's been worried you might hate us forever, and that would be bad because we're his family, but he loves you!_ ”  
  
“ _What? You mean he loves me as a brother? Or a friend...?_ ”  
  
“ _I mean just as much as he loves Princess Anna! The true kinda love!_ ”  
  
“ _Wait... WHAT?!_ ”  
  
And it was at that exact moment that Kristoff had come running into the garden, cutting off the flow of information. Now the questions _needled_ at Hans from every direction. Had he misunderstood? No, the troll had been quite clear. Had the _troll_ misunderstood? Maybe. Weren't they meant to be love experts, though? Was it even possible for one man to love another man like that? … Of course it was, there were several couples like that in Arendelle.  
  
If it were true, it would explain so much about Kristoff's behavior and at the same time, raise so many _more_ questions. As Hans peered out over the city he'd grown to love, its distant lights beautiful pinpricks in the dark night, he was left pondering the most important question of all.  
  
How did _he_ feel about Kristoff?  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	17. Understanding

\---------  
  
_“My sister's not a monster.”  
  
“She nearly killed me!”  
  
“You slipped on ice.”  
  
“Her ice!”  
  
“It was an accident. She was scared. She didn't mean it. She didn't mean any of this.”_  
  
\---------  
  
Morning had come to Arendelle, and with it, a renewed headache. How much sleep _had_ Hans gotten? Two hours, perhaps three. With the sunlight glaring in through the window, any more attempts would've been pointless. The castle felt oddly abandoned. As he wandered the corridors, he saw barely any staff. No Olly, no Olaf, no _Anna_... Was she still upset about what'd happened last night? Was she seeking solace with Elsa, perhaps? If so, that was for the best. Elsa would be able to talk more sense into her than Hans ever could.  
  
What a mess.  
  
Hans still didn't know how to react to what the young troll had told him. What he did know was that the two people closest to him had gotten into a fight- something _far_ worse than any argument before it. He'd already been by Anna's side last night, so perhaps the best thing to do now was to be sure Kristoff was alright. The thought of facing him now was daunting, because even though he didn't know whether the troll had been _right_ , the possibility was there. He couldn't avoid his friend just because of something like that, though.  
  
So he made his way down to the stables.  
  
It became clear in an instant that Kristoff was _not_ alright. While the man's influence had spread out across the stable over the past year in the form of pots, pans, little reindeer knick-knacks and ice business equipment, all of that had been gathered up and moved to one central point: the back of the sled. Even now, Kristoff was dropping a bundle of blankets with the rest of his belongings. The defeated expression on his face spoke a thousand words.  
  
Hans felt a surge of panic when he realized what was going on.  
  
“Kristoff, what... Where are you going?” he asked.  
  
“Home,” was the bitter response.  
  
“But... You _are_ home.”  
  
Kristoff shook his head and when he looked up, the exhaustion was all over his face. He'd probably slept even less than Hans had. Of course he would've- _Kristoff_ was the one who'd gotten into a fight with Anna. Hans couldn't even imagine how painful a blow it must've been. Sven was nowhere to be seen and he wondered whether it was because he was out enjoying the sun, or because Kristoff had wanted to be left all alone.  
  
Hans wouldn't _let_ him be alone.  
  
“I don't know who I was kidding,” Kristoff said. “I don't belong here. I never did. Castles and ceremonies and good manners... That's not my life, that's just a _hassle_. I should be out there, in the mountains.”  
  
“No one said you have to choose.”  
  
“ _Anna's_ making me choose. Not between this place and the mountains, but between her and the trolls. No matter what they've done, I won't give up on them, so... That's it, then. If she can't accept my family, that means she can't accept me.”  
  
Hans hesitated, then took a few steps closer. “Anna just needs a bit of time. She spent so long believing the trolls were villains, I'm sure it must be hard for her to shake. Just stay here for now, alright? We'll go and talk to her later, the two of us together.”  
  
A deep sigh, then Kristoff turned and leaned back against the sled. He didn't appear at all convinced that Anna could be eased out of her current stance towards the trolls, and so, he didn't respond to the suggestion. Instead, he drew attention to something else. “I still can't believe _you_ don't think they're villains,” he said.  
  
The most cynical answer that Hans could give was that he'd met _real_ villains before. He'd lived with them for twenty three years of his life. His own family had attacked him personally, and for what? For _nothing_ , it felt like. Just because they _could_. Compared to something like that, the trolls were quite innocent. He couldn't bring himself to say it, though. This wasn't about him.  
  
“They wanted you to be with your true love. That's sweet. The only problem is how they went about it, but if you say you've been teaching them, then... I trust you to get that lesson across.”  
  
“You know you're allowed to be angry with them for trying to kill you, right?” Kristoff asked him.  
  
“Of course, but I just don't see the point. Anna's already angry enough for the both of us. I'd rather believe the trolls can be our allies.”  
  
Kristoff's mouth curled into a smile. It felt rather eerie, though. Like he was amused by Hans's naivety more than anything else. Or perhaps the sadness caused by Anna's reaction was stopping him from being _truly_ happy about Hans's own opinion on the matter. Either way, he didn't say a word.  
  
“It'll be alright. Really. The two of us together can convince Anna to give your family another chance.” Hans walked over to a nearby bale of straw and lowered himself down on it. “Here, come and sit with me.”  
  
After a moment of hesitation, Kristoff did just that. The way he carelessly dropped his weight caused the straw to produce a loud crunching sound, like the rope holding the bale together was about to snap. It didn't. Now Hans became painfully aware that there were only a few inches between Kristoff's leg and his own.  
  
“Kristoff, I... I have to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth. It doesn't matter _what_ the answer is, alright? All that matters is that I _know_.”  
  
“Ah... Alright?”  
  
Hans swallowed thickly, then drew a few breaths to steady himself. His gaze went down to his hands, which were resting in his lap. The odd thing was that he didn't know what he wanted the answer to be. The whole situation was intimidating and uncomfortable. Still, he couldn't bear to go without the truth.  
  
“How do you... _feel_ about me?” he asked quietly.  
  
“Wha... What?”  
  
“That young troll, he suggested... Well. Something a bit odd. About love.”  
  
“Aaagh!” Kristoff slapped both palms against his face to cover it, hunching forward. “ _Of course_ he did! Listen, trolls use the word “love” very loosely.”  
  
“So you _don't_ have those sorts of feelings for me?”  
  
While Hans had expected to be relieved, and he was indeed just that, there was something else mingled into it. Something bitter. It wasn't quite disappointment, either. Frustration? Or hurt? He couldn't pinpoint it.  
  
Kristoff lowered his hands again, his fingers curling and then relaxing at an irregular pace. “It's just... I don't know how to explain it. It's like the sort of feeling that comes _before_ love. Something that could grow into love if given the chance- but it doesn't _have_ to! _Obviously_.”  
  
“Oh... I think I understand.”  
  
Except that he didn't. The only person he knew for certain he loved was Anna, and nothing had come before that. No uncertainty, nothing which needed to be strengthened first... It had been love at first sight. It had told him, without even a moment's hesitation, that she was a perfect match for him. That sort of assurance had given him confidence and ease of mind. Still, his love had grown over time, which meant that it was indeed possible for feelings to evolve and become even stronger.  
  
“But what about Anna?” was his follow-up question.  
  
Kristoff scoffed. “Pabbie told me that 'true love' isn't the same thing as 'only love'. All it means is that your love is sincere. And it can be spread out in all sorts of ways. So... Yeah. I have feelings for Anna and I, uh, _kinda_ have feelings for you too.”  
  
“Huh...”  
  
Silence. Kristoff shuffled his feet in a restless manner. Hans knew he should be saying something else, but no more words were coming to him. It was such a strange, surreal situation to land himself in. He couldn't even believe that Anna had feelings for him, let alone that anyone else would.  
  
“So... Ho-How do you feel about that?” Kristoff asked, and from the cautious sound of his voice, it came across as if he were about to take a very dangerous leap. “Are you disgusted or angry, or...?”  
  
“No!” Hans replied immediately. At the very least, he knew that much. “Of course not. I could never be angry with you. _Or_ disgusted. I'm only... confused, I suppose? I never expected that you'd look at me like that. ... I'm sorry, I don't know how to feel.”  
  
“Right. Sorry. It doesn't matter either way, does it? Because you're going to live the rest of your life with Anna. You love her and she loves you, so... My feelings are just pointless anyway. That's why I didn't want you to find out.”  
  
Kristoff rose to his feet again, head bowed and back turned to Hans. It was an oddly _devastating_ sight that really hammered in one very important fact: Kristoff was suffering. Kristoff _had_ been suffering for a year already and he hadn't said a word, because by his own logic, his feelings were the root of the problem. Kristoff had already given up on his own happiness because he'd believed that so long as Hans and Anna were happy together, nothing else mattered.  
  
But that was all wrong.  
  
Acting purely on instinct and what _he_ believed to be right, Hans moved to stand in front of Kristoff and pulled him into a tight hug. He heard a gasp right beside his ear, but didn't let go.  
  
“Please, don't ever say that again. Your feelings aren't pointless. Just because I didn't think they were possible doesn't mean they shouldn't exist. I'm flattered, really. Love is a beautiful thing, no matter what it looks like,” he said quietly.  
  
After a few more seconds, Kristoff relaxed in his hold and wrapped his own arms around Hans's chest in turn. A head came to rest on Hans's shoulder. A deep breath was released; not in relief, rather, in _respite_. It seemed like Kristoff had really needed this hug, regardless of what it meant. Exploring terrain that was still very new and very unfamiliar, Hans slowly raised his hand to the back of Kristoff's neck, his fingers ruffling frizzy blond hair.  
  
“... You and Anna make love seem so easy,” he heard Kristoff whisper. “But it's not. Not for me.”  
  
“No... I don't think it's ever easy. If I managed to give off that impression, then I'm really quite proud of myself.”  
  
The truth was that every single day, Hans was a little bit afraid of losing Anna. He feared that she might leave him for someone better, or that she might get hurt simply for having known him. True love was beautiful, because there was always someone to share your best moments with- and your worst ones. Though at the same time, true love was terrible, as it meant that there was something very important to _lose_.  
  
“All I do is complicate things. If it weren't for me, you and Anna would've been happily married by now,” Kristoff said.  
  
“I don't know about that. You're our voice of reason, remember?” Hans pointed out with a smile. “I can't say what our lives would've been like without you, but I _can_ say that I don't regret having you here. That's why I don't want you to leave. Perhaps it's selfish to ask that of you, considering the circumstances, but I... I really _need_ you. I'm sorry.”  
  
Kristoff chuckled. It was a hoarse, strained sort of sound muffled by Hans's shoulder, but it was a chuckle all the same. “... How are you so _charming_?”  
  
“ _Me_? How can _you_ be so charming?” Hans replied. He felt himself blush just a bit.  
  
“Good question. I know I'm not _trying_ to be.”  
  
Kristoff backed himself out of the embrace and Hans allowed it. Even so, he kept one hand on Kristoff's upper arm, as he got the distinct feeling his friend was still somewhat upset and could use all the support available to him, no matter how minor the gesture. Sure enough, the redness around Kristoff's eyes and the way he seemed to be chewing the inside of his mouth confirmed it.  
  
“Don't worry, alright?” Hans squeezed his arm, just for a second. “First, we'll talk Anna into giving your family another chance, then we'll take our time to figure out, ah, everything else.”  
  
Kristoff looked as if he might object- might demand to know what there was to figure out, as the situation still hadn't changed. Hans and Anna were intent on getting married some day, so where would that leave _him_? No such words came, though. Instead, Kristoff rubbed at his eyes with the palm of his right hand.  
  
“Ye-Yeah... Alright. Thanks...”  
  
“Are... Are you _crying_?”  
  
“No, I've just... got something in my eye. It's dusty in here.”  
  
“Oh. Yes, I suppose it _is_ dusty.”  
  
Kristoff drew away and Hans distinctly heard him sniff. It was enough to make him feel bad all over again. Still, he meant what he'd said earlier. The most important order of business was to calm Anna down and fix her friendship with Kristoff. Anything else would have to wait.  
  
No, perhaps that was just an excuse. Perhaps he was only stalling; attempting to bide as much time for himself as possible, so that he wouldn't have to think about whether or not it was possible for him to return Kristoff's feelings, and if he did, what that would mean for his relationship with Anna. Though, on the other hand, wasn't it good that he was taking his time? Something like this couldn't just be decided within a day.  
  
“Do you need some help unpacking all your things again?” Hans asked, changing the topic to something that was even _easier_.  
  
“... Sure.”  
  
\---------  
  
Anna was experiencing the oddest mixture of sadness and _fury_. Kristoff had betrayed her- had _lied_ to her and allowed himself to be taken in by the enemy. She knew she was in the right to be angry with him, and she _was_. Oh boy, was she _angry_. Still, at the same time, she was upset that he hadn't come to her about this. He hadn't trusted her and had instead trusted the trolls, or so it felt. Now she'd lost her friend, hadn't she?  
  
And then there was Hans. Sure, he'd tried to calm her down and stayed by her side for as long as she needed, but he hadn't supported her stance. He'd done nothing but tell her that Kristoff hadn't meant it like that, that the little troll had offered a genuine apology, that _he_ hadn't taken offense. Indirectly, he'd told her over and over that she was _wrong_ for feeling the way she did and it boggled the mind. Why was Hans choosing Kristoff's side over hers? Weren't they all supposed to be allied against the trolls together? Wasn't that what they'd agreed last year?  
  
She felt like she might explode from how _unfair_ it all was.  
  
There was only one person to turn to, now. Only one person who would hear her out. Though, she was also one more person who had hidden the truth from her. One more person who was in on this little conspiracy. One more person to be upset with.  
  
Elsa was focused on some sort of paperwork. Her ornate steel dip pen was basically zooming across the paper, scritching and flourishing, halting only whenever the ink needed to be refilled. Anna wondered vaguely what she was writing, then decided whatever it was, it would need to wait. She strode into the room and stood right before Elsa's desk, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.  
  
A long moment passed.  
  
Finally, Elsa noticed that there was another person in the room and looked up, the pen frozen halfway into a sentence. “Anna... I didn't see you there.”  
  
Anna said nothing.  
  
Elsa blinked, placed the pen beside the paper and smiled. “That really was a wonderful celebration last night, wasn't it? I still can't believe so many people showed up. The courtyard must've been almost as crowded as during my actual coronation.”  
  
Anna still said nothing.  
  
“Is... Is something wrong?” Elsa asked her, her smile making way for a frown.  
  
Anna grumbled the source of her trouble; a brief, deep jabber which caused her chest to vibrate.  
  
“I'm sorry, what was that?”  
  
“ _Trolls_ ,” Anna said again, a bit louder this time.  
  
“... Oh.” Elsa barely looked fazed, though her eyes _had_ widened just a bit. She folded her hands together atop the desk. “I take it that Kristoff told you?”  
  
“ _No_ , Kristoff did not _tell me_!” Anna snapped immediately. “I _found out_! A sneaky little troll snuck into the castle last night! Can you believe that?! Right when nearly everyone from Arendelle was here! That's not a coincidence! It must've been up to something! But nooo, Kristoff acts like _I'm_ a horrible person for being suspicious!”  
  
“Oh, I... I had no idea we were paid a visit by a troll.”  
  
Anna wasn't having any of that. She smacked a hand down on the desk, peering Elsa right in the eyes. “But you knew that _Kristoff's_ been seeing them! You gave him _permission_ \- that's what he said!”  
  
“Anna-”  
  
“How _could_ you?! I thought there weren't going to be any more secrets between us! I thought we were going to share _everything_ from now on, so why? Why would you keep something like that from me?”  
  
Now, for the first time, Elsa looked genuinely concerned by the turn this conversation had taken. She opened her mouth, closed it again, shook her head and tried again. “I did not tell you because this doesn't concern just the two of us. Kristoff came to me for advice as soon this whole thing started. We discussed what the best course of action would be, which was to give him more time. He believed the trolls are not our enemies, they're simply rooted in their own ways, which are, well, _ignorant_. That doesn't mean they can't _learn_ to be better. He was supposed to tell you when the time was right; not I, _him_.”  
  
Anna was lost for words as well, now. She sputtered helplessly, waving her hands in hopes it would somehow help her gather her composure. Then, finally, she found the reply she was trying to muster up. “Well, he waited _too long_!”  
  
“An honest mistake,” Elsa said.  
  
“ _Honest mistake_?!” Anna became outraged all over again. “Elsa, how can you even believe the trolls can be _better_ after everything they did?! They're the reason you were locked away inside your room for all those years, afraid to show yourself even to your own _family_!”  
  
Elsa shook her head; a soft, solemn gesture. “No. Our _parents_ were the reason for that. I myself was the reason as well. The trolls gave us a fair warning and we... We misunderstood what they were trying to tell us.”  
  
“That's- Well... They took some of my precious childhood memories!”  
  
“They had to. You would have _died_ if they hadn't.”  
  
“Oh yeah? But they messed with _Hans's_ memories too and had him be a villain, just so Kristoff could swoop in like a hero! And when that didn't work, they tried to _kill him_! So _there_!” Anna smirked and stood as tall as she could, confident that she'd won the argument now. There was no way to justify something like that.  
  
Elsa drew in a deep breath, one of her eyebrows raising ever so lightly. “Anna... No one is asking you to forgive the trolls just yet. Or _ever_. If you want to stay angry with them, you're allowed to feel that way.”  
  
“ _Good_! Because I _will_!”  
  
“But,” Elsa said sharply, “you need to keep one thing in mind. The trolls are very important to Kristoff. He believes they can change, that they can be our friends. Please don't fault him for wanting to see the best in his family.”  
  
And just like that, Kristoff's words from last night rang through Anna's head all over again. She'd still trusted her sister after _everyone_ became convinced she was dangerous- a vicious sorceress who wanted to destroy Arendelle. But this was _different_ , she told herself. Elsa had only been scared and overwhelmed, she hadn't even known about the damage her magic had caused. The trolls, on the other hand, had known perfectly well what their magic would do. They'd wanted Hans to be disgraced- to _die_ just so...  
  
Just so Kristoff could be by Anna's side. Just to bring a smile to his face and give him his happily ever after.  
  
It was so wrong and awful, and yet so infuriatingly _understandable_. Anna smacked her hand against the desk again, scoffing and huffing.  
  
“He should've just _told me_...” she grumbled, scrunching her eyes shut.  
  
“Would you have taken it any better than you're doing right now?” Elsa asked.  
  
“I- I don't know. Maybe?”  
  
“Kristoff's biggest concern when he came to me was how _you_ would react. Trust me, he didn't make his decision lightly and the last thing he wanted to do was upset you.”  
  
“ _Everyone's_ upset now...” Anna concluded with a sigh.  
  
It wasn't just her and it wasn't just Kristoff. Hans was probably affected by the argument too. And maybe the troll had taken offense. Maybe he'd gone back home to the valley to tell all the other trolls about what'd happened. She hoped not. The last thing she wanted on top of everything was for the Valley of the Living Rock to be buzzing with gossip about her.  
  
But that wasn't important now.  
  
“I let Kristoff have it real bad, last night... What if he hates me forever? He'll still be friends with _Hans_ , of course, because Hans can be friends with everybody. But that doesn't mean he'll still want to be friends with _me_.” Anna hung her head, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. “Oh Elsa, what am I going to _do_?”  
  
“I think you already _know_ what to do,” Elsa said with a discreet smile.  
  
“Well, yes... I was just hoping you'd have some better, easier idea.”  
  
“Do you want me to come with you when you go speak to Kristoff?”  
  
“... Yes, please.”  
  
\---------  
  
Kristoff was just so very _tired_. It wasn't because he'd taken a trip to the Valley of the Living Rock in the dead of night to take Pebble home. It also wasn't because sleep hadn't come to him after his return to the stable. He was just so sick of being caught in the middle. So sick of feeling like he didn't belong. So sick of watching other people find their happily ever after while he still struggled with the little, everyday pleasures.  
  
Now he was sitting out in the sun by the stable door, a cup of warm tea being handed to him even as he tried to stave off a migraine. Hans was still keeping him company, trying every trick in the book to cheer him up further. That he was even willing to stick around at all after finding out about _That_ was a miracle all on its own. Arendelle treated people and relationships equally, but Kristoff was pretty sure romance between two men was frowned upon in most other countries, the Southern Isles included. Being from a royal family where the men bred like rabbits likely didn't help when it came to preparing Hans for that sort of thing. Maybe he'd been trained not to show his disgust in public.  
  
Or maybe the friendship with Kristoff just meant more to Hans than anything else.  
  
Sighing, Kristoff held the cup with both hands, the warmth seeping into his rough palms. “... Thanks,” he mumbled quietly.  
  
Hans took a seat by his side and Kristoff cringed. The dusty ground of the courtyard was sure to leave some marks on the prince's white pants. He didn't say a word, though. Neither of them did. A nice, calming silence reigned up until the castle door slammed open. That was when Kristoff's stomach plummeted all over again and even Hans drew a sharp breath. Anna came rushing down the steps, with Elsa following at a much more leisurely pace.  
  
It was time to face the music. Or in this case, the loud shouting.  
  
“KRISTOOOFF! _Oh_! _There_ you are!”  
  
Kristoff carefully set his tea down and rose to his feet, his mind already racing with an assortment of apologies. Anna came to a skidding halt before him far too early; he still had no idea what to say to her. Nothing for it now but to stumble his way through the conversation, he supposed.  
  
“Anna, listen, about last night-”  
  
“No, _you_ listen. I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I shouldn't have called your family monsters. I was just... I don't know. _Scared_? For you?”  
  
“ _I'm_ the one who's sorry! I should've told you about the trolls sooner, but I-”  
  
“I know, I know. You were waiting for the right time.”  
  
For a long moment, no one said a word. Then Kristoff managed to relax some of his tensed muscles. The strain deep inside his chest eased up too. “So... If _you're_ sorry and _I'm_ sorry, does that mean... We're good? Are we good?”  
  
“We're good,” Anna replied with her own relieved smile.  
  
Kristoff couldn't help himself; he slung his arms around Anna's waist and pulled her into a tight hug, even lifting her off the ground. He felt her own arms wrap around his neck in turn. “Hah! _Yes_! I'm so glad! I-” he'd called, only to interrupt himself. No, this... This wasn't proper. Especially not with Hans sitting right there. He quickly set Anna down again and backed away, chuckling nervously. “I-I'm _glad_ ,” he said again.  
  
Anna glanced to the side, a grin on her face, a blush on her cheeks and one hand fussing with her braid. “Me too,” was her response.  
  
By now, Elsa had caught up to them. She too looked pleasantly reassured, maybe even _amused_. Hans stood up straight to face her and Kristoff didn't know whether that was out of reflex towards fellow royalty, or whether he didn't want to be the only person sitting down. Either way, now that all four of them were together like this, Kristoff's exhaustion began to ebb away.  
  
“I suppose we ought to discuss, once more, what our current stance on the trolls is,” Elsa suggested.  
  
“Oh, well...” Anna's eyes shot from her sister to Hans, then to Kristoff, then back to Elsa. There was a conflict waging inside her, most likely. “I still don't trust them...”  
  
“Do you trust _Kristoff_?” Hans asked her.  
  
“Ah? Of course I do!”  
  
“Then, isn't that good enough? He's been hard at work to teach the trolls about the error of their ways, and I believe it's working. The troll who visited us last night certainly seemed well-behaved enough.”  
  
Hans was standing up for him... That idea alone made Kristoff feel just a bit warmer and cozier, despite the muggy summer heat that already surrounded them. Unable to glance the prince's way, he instead looked to Anna. That wasn't any better. Her expression went from mildly skeptical to a determined, cheerful radiance and Kristoff felt himself flush all over again.  
  
“You're right,” she admitted. “Kristoff is the one who would know best what the trolls are capable of. And he would never put us in unnecessary danger. I... I should've realized that sooner. But I won't make that same mistake again. He can go visit his family whenever he wants.”  
  
Kristoff released another heavy breath, his mood improving further by the second. Finally, at long last, this whole situation between the trolls and the royal family was resolved. … Well, sort of.  
  
“Then, that's settled. Kristoff may continue to act as a sort of envoy between the community of rock trolls and Arendelle,” Elsa declared, her blue eyes settling on him. “I expect more great work from you as our official Troll Ambassador and Interpreter.”  
  
Kristoff's mind was instantly bucking in protest. How did Elsa and Anna keep coming up with these weird titles? He knew he shouldn't be complaining, but it certainly felt as if another responsibility had been dropped on him, along with the liability if this all went horribly wrong.  
  
“Uh... Yeah,” he ended up stammering.  
  
“Who knows? Come December, we might all be celebrating Christmas together- humans _and_ trolls.” Hans grinned and nudged Kristoff's arm with his elbow.  
  
“But trolls don't celebrate Christmas,” Kristoff pointed out, much as he hated to do so. It was a great future to look forward to, but not exactly a realistic one.  
  
Hans shot him an apologetic smile. “Oh. Well. We can celebrate just being together in a time of peace, then.”  
  
“That would be something... Well, I'll leave you to it, then,” Elsa said. She beamed at them all one last time, squeezed Anna's shoulder and then retreated towards the castle.  
  
Now it was just the three of them. Feeling quite thirsty all of a sudden, Kristoff retrieved his tea and began to drain it faster than he ought to. His throat ached from the heat, which hadn't quite dimmed down yet.  
  
“Sooo,” Anna began awkwardly. “Um. I wanted to talk to you both last night and I know things got _really_ messed up, but I was wondering if maybe we could try again?”  
  
“Of course,” Hans said right off the bat, while Kristoff didn't manage much more than an affirmative grunt.  
  
“Great! Good. Alright.” Anna turned to survey the courtyard, with its occasional castle staff member passing by to tend to their chores. Then she shook her head. “Let's go to the inner garden, alright?”  
  
Kristoff wondered what was so delicate that Anna would want to discuss it away from prying ears. Or maybe she just wanted the right atmosphere? That seemed even more questionable a motive to move to the garden. Either way, he had no reason to object and neither did Hans. They strolled over to last night's crime scene, where a couple of ducks were bobbing about in the pond. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of carefully-trimmed, symmetrical hedges. It was both peaceful and foreboding.  
  
They took a seat on a wooden bench, all three of them side by side. Kristoff kept to the outer edge of the bench, with Hans on the opposite end and Anna settled between them. She smacked her hands down on her legs and were it not for the fabric of her dress, Kristoff was sure there would've been an audible clap.  
  
“So! Isn't this perfect, just the three of us? _I'm_ comfy- are you?” Anna asked with the oddest air of apprehension.  
  
Kristoff squinted at her. “Is there a problem, or...?”  
  
“Augh! Alright, I'll just come right out and say it.” Anna ducked forward for a second, then straightened her spine again and whirled her upper body sideways to face Hans. She took hold of one of his hands with both of her own, cradling it. “ _Hans_ , you know I love you, right? I mean, we postponed our engagement because I needed time to figure out whether my feelings for you were true, but I know now that they _are_. I absolutely love you a-and... I don't know what I would do if I lost you.”  
  
By now, Hans's cheeks had a shade of red that Kristoff rarely saw on him. It was a different hue than the one caused by his recent fever and certainly redder than anything _Kristoff_ could ever cause. With that realization, he instinctively turned his attention to the pond, watching the ducks instead. Why was he even forced to be a part of this conversation?  
  
“I love you too, Anna. More than I could ever put into words,” was Hans's reply.  
  
“Good! It's just that... Ah...” Anna trailed off helplessly.  
  
As usual, Hans finished the sentence _for_ her. “... You love Kristoff as well.”  
  
A startled sound escaped from the back of Kristoff's throat, but that was nothing compared to Anna's reaction. She hopped up from the bench, her hands up in the air and something close to _panic_ on her face. “ _Whoaaah_! Whoah! How did yooouu...?”  
  
That wasn't denial, Kristoff noted with another start. That was _confirmation_.  
  
“I can tell just from the way you look at him. No, from the way you look at _each other_ ,” Hans said with a smile. “You love him and he loves you.”  
  
“But! But _wait_! Isn't that... Doesn't that _bother_ you?” Anna asked.  
  
Kristoff knew already that it didn't. Hans had found out about Kristoff's feelings for Anna almost a year ago and had _accepted_ them. He'd said that Anna's happiness was most important to him and that true love would prevail. This wasn't a rivalry to him; it was a matter of finding out what fate had in store for him. Even now that the cat was out of the bag and the feelings were apparently mutual, Hans was as calm about it as could be.  
  
“Anna, I can't tell you what to feel or who to feel it for. Only your heart can do that. If you have feelings for _both_ of us... Well, all I can say is that you have excellent taste. Kristoff is a wonderful man.”  
  
Now Anna was turning just as red as Hans had moments ago. Kristoff couldn't fault her for it, as he was doing the exact same thing. _How was Hans so charming and perfect_?!  
  
“O-Oh... Oh, that's... Um...” Anna glanced around in the most distracted of manners, then took her seat again. “So... What happens now?”  
  
Kristoff didn't have the answer to that. If anything, he was searching for the same thing. Just that morning, Hans had assured him that his feelings weren't pointless, but in the grand scheme of things, they didn't seem to have a place at all. They might only make things worse. He instinctively looked towards Hans and eye contact was made. The prince nodded at him, a signal that they might as well reveal the full story.  
  
“Now that we're all being fair and open about this sort of stuff...” Kristoff broke off with a bit of a squeak. His throat was feeling dry and itchy. He swallowed and tried again. “You're uh... Not the only one who has feelings for two people.”  
  
“Really? Who...?” Anna leaned forward in her seat, evidently trying to take in Kristoff's expression. He pointedly turned away from her.  
  
“I uh... Hum. I _miiight_ also have some feelings for, uh... For Hans,” he admitted.  
  
“Wait, _WHAT_?!”  
  
Anna was on her feet all over again and this time, her shout had alarmed the ducks. They scattered in the opposite direction and took flight, leaving waves and ripples behind on the pond's surface. Kristoff smiled wryly and Hans looked like he had a bad toothache, all of a sudden. Time seemed to stand still as Anna's eyes flicked between the both of them. She must've been trying to figure out how it all factored together. Then, finally, she clapped her hands together.  
  
“Well, that's... That's good! Because if you love me and you love _him_ , and _I_ love you and I love him... That means nobody loses, right? I-I mean, there's no need for anyone to get jealous because all three of us could just date each other?”  
  
“Hold your horses,” Kristoff said immediately, because he smelled danger a mile away, along with a very big problem in Anna's logic. “Nobody said Hans has feelings for _me_.”  
  
Hans hid his face behind one hand and Anna went from mild confusion to an incredibly flustered, overblown reaction.  
  
“Oh... _Oh_! Right! I'm sorry! That's- _Obviously_ that would help. Ah- Not that I'm saying he _has_ to have feelings for- I'm sorry, Hans, I can't tell you what to feel either! That's up to _you_! So!”  
  
Kristoff cringed at how badly that was handled. His lungs refusing to truly do as they were told, he waited for Hans to respond. It took about ten seconds before that happened.  
  
“I'm sorry. I wish I had something worthwhile to add, but...” Hans trailed off, an emotion close to pained on his features. He ended up shaking his head. “As I already told Kristoff this morning, I don't _know_ how I feel about this. It's caught me quite unaware. I need time, I suppose.”  
  
“Of course! No pressure!” Anna replied immediately. “Only your heart can give you that answer, so you just... Don't worry about what either of us might say, alright? What you feel is what you feel! You don't _have_ to love Kristoff!”  
  
“Okay, _ow_ ,” Kristoff said dryly, shooting a glare Anna's way.  
  
“No, I didn't mean- You _know_ what I mean!”  
  
A smile broke through Hans's discomfort, but it was a bittersweet sort of thing. Helpless and forced. “Thank you for understanding.”  
  
Anna bristled at the unwarranted gratitude and Kristoff shuffled his feet, his heels drawing lines into the dirt below the bench. Even with all their honesty, this sticky situation was still far from resolved.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	18. The Ballad of Flemmingrad

\---------  
  
_“There once was a troll held in highest esteem, for his manner was kind and his fungus did gleam. The ballad of old Flemmingrad! Beloved by each troll girl and every troll lad!”_  
  
\---------  
  
Despite the time of year and the time of night, as well as the flurry of snow that was surely still cascading onto Arendelle at this very moment, the Valley of the Living Rock held a very pleasant temperature to it. Not a single bit of frost was in sight, not a single nip of cold breeze assaulted Hans's skin. It didn't seem as if the warmth came from just the steam vents, either. He quite expected that the trolls were using magic to keep their home in a state of eternal spring, though why they would do that, he had no idea. It didn't seem as if beings made of rock could get _cold_. It was the sort of thing he might ask about eventually, once the relationship between Arendelle and the trolls had been _truly_ mended and there was time for trivial conversations.  
  
They were one step closer to that already, as they'd finally convinced Anna to come see the trolls in person.  
  
Hans hadn't expected it would actually take until December, but she'd put her foot down quite insistently up until now. Not that he was in any position to judge her for taking her time; he himself still hadn't figured out what to do about Kristoff's feelings for him, or even how to feel in turn. He knew he couldn't stall forever, but at the moment, putting a label on it still felt entirely too daunting a step to take.  
  
Shaking off such thoughts, he instead focused on his surroundings once more. The trolls were _beyond_ ecstatic to finally have the entire collection of their 'favorite humans' here. It wasn't just himself, Kristoff and Anna; even Elsa had put aside some of her precious time to visit the valley. They were all sitting in a circle, the trolls squeezing themselves into the group however possible. Olaf was present as well, of course, telling elaborate stories of life in the castle. Olly was playing with some of the younger trolls. Sven had settled himself down by Kristoff's side, dozing in the pleasant warmth.  
  
The only one who was not at ease was Anna, who'd accepted the apology of the trolls with a bit of a huff and now kept surveying them with narrowed eyes. It felt as if she was expecting one of their hosts to do something out of line and if they did, she would be ready to catch them red-handed.  
  
Hans really didn't expect _anything_ bad to happen. They'd been here for almost an hour already and the worst offense to date was the question whether Kristoff had kissed Anna yet, which had been answered with a resounding “No! And that is none of your business!” from Kristoff himself. Though he suspected there would've been a follow-up query of whether Kristoff had kissed _Hans_ yet, the trolls had been hastily distracted with a topic change towards their crystal necklaces.  
  
“And we'll be starting the preparations for our Flemmingrad celebration soon,” the troll called Cliff was saying. “We do expect you to be there for it this year, Kristoff. Halvard tried to play the ballad for us last time, but it waaas... not a success.”  
  
“Hey, _you_ try playing a lute with only three fingers on your right hand!” another troll rebuffed immediately. Hans glanced towards the hand in question and sure enough, a finger was missing there. It looked like it'd been broken off. Trolls only had four fingers in total on each hand, Hans realized a second later.  
  
“Yeah, yeah. And the Flemmy stew wasn't quite the same either. We used the same ingredients, but it just didn't _taste_ right, you know?”  
  
“I'll see what I can do, but I can't stay here for too long. The Christmas celebration in Arendelle has got some new traditions that I don't want to miss,” Kristoff replied.  
  
There was a split second where Kristoff met Hans's eye and in that moment, memories of last year dawned. The Kristmas stew, the search for Olaf, the moment where Kristoff was almost killed by a wolf... Not to mention, the party which led to dancing classes. Conflicted, Hans stared down towards his own knees instead.  
  
“It's me. I'm the tradition,” Olaf said proudly.  
  
“Just please, don't get lost in the forest again this year, Olaf,” Elsa remarked with a smile. “I don't think that needs to be part of the tradition.”  
  
Obviously disappointed, Olaf pouted and hung his head. Hans wondered whether Elsa had just put a stop to whatever plans Olaf might've concocted for this year's Christmas party. If it once again involved the forest, it really was for the best that Elsa had snuffed out those sorts of ideas early. Anything fun Olaf wanted to do, they could do in the courtyard.  
  
“Hmm... Well, I suppose we can do the Flemmingrad celebration a day earlier. Then you can go back to Arendelle just in time for Christmas,” Cliff mused. Then he seemed to realize that wasn't his decision to make and turned this head. “Isn't that right, Pabbie?”  
  
“I don't see any issue with that. The Flemmingrad celebration is not tied to one particular day.”  
  
Elsa leaned forward a bit, her gaze fixed on the elderly troll. “Grand Pabbie, if I may... I was wondering if you could tell us a bit more about the history of this celebration. Kristoff explained the tale to us as it goes in the ballad, but it strikes me as curious. If indeed the people of Arendelle had slayed a rock troll in the past, would there not have been stories about it in the kingdom? It feels like the sort of tale that would linger in the castle town for many centuries, if only as a whisper.”  
  
All the trolls in the valley, who had been jabbering away up until this point, suddenly fell silent. Every single pair of eyes turned their way. Hans felt immediately uncomfortable and right beside him, Anna tensed up. She'd brought her sword with her, despite the assurance that she didn't need to, and now one of her hands was moving towards the handle. Hans quickly intercepted it, squeezing her palm in a comforting manner.  
  
Pabbie seemed confused by the question. He blinked, tilted his head, then allowed his features to move into a more serious expression. “Flemmingrad was not slain by people of Arendelle's capitol, Your Majesty.”  
  
“Oh? But I thought... Who else could it have been?”  
  
Pabbie closed his eyes and raised both hands up towards the sky. A vision appeared before them; fuzzy blue and purple images reminiscent of the northern lights, though it was not at all that far above them. Instead, the images danced on the same height as their faces. Anna's fingers clenched into Hans's hand as a result of the magic. Nothing harmful came from it, though. The blue waves took the shape of a few trolls and trees. It was a very serene sight, really.  
  
“Our kind has not _always_ lived in this valley,” Pabbie began. “Over four hundred years ago, we resided in a different forest to the northeast, far past the Black Mountains. There were more of us, then. Trolls of all ages and sizes. The tale has it that there was a human town just outside those woods and these humans were trusted allies of the trolls.”  
  
Pabbie waved a hand and the images before them changed. The little troll silhouettes walked away from the trees and came across tall, humanoid silhouettes. The trolls revolved on the spot in a dance of sorts and the humans seemed to double up with laughter. All that changed, though, when Pabbie waved his hand a second time. The humans turned from a pleasant blue to a vivid red and drew their swords.  
  
“However, one winter's day, the humans suddenly became quite violent. The men of the town all set out to harm our kind. They invaded the forest and chased our ancestors from it, forcing them to flee into the mountains. As trolls are faster than humans, most made it through the mountain range safely. Flemmingrad, however, was so large that he became wedged in a pass high atop the mountain.”  
  
Looking at the imagery, Hans began to feel quite bad. An enormous troll silhouette, which had been rolling uphill, had indeed gotten himself stuck. The humans advanced behind him, swords drawn, while the trolls _before_ him tugged at his arms in a desperate attempt to free him. It was no good. The humans struck with their swords and there was an explosion of red light, dissolving the image.  
  
Pabbie's voice turned to a quiet, deep rumble as he continued the tale. “There was no other choice. Flemmingrad was left behind in that mountain pass, as were all the slower trolls who were meant to follow after him. Quite a few of our kind were lost that day, stranded on the other side of the Black Mountains and left at the mercy of the humans. Whether they survived or not, we don't know.”  
  
All the trolls surrounding them hung their heads, giving off the air of grief. Even the younger trolls, who were _terrible_ at reading the room, seemed stricken. It must've been the first time Kristoff heard full tale, as he'd blanched a bit and leaned further into Sven's comfy fur.  
  
“I'm... so sorry,” Elsa said, still a bit taken aback herself. “Then, you have no idea why the humans suddenly turned on you?”  
  
“I wish I had more to tell you, but this incident occurred long before my time. It was my father who led the surviving trolls into this valley and it was him who came to an agreement with the royal family.”  
  
“An agreement?”  
  
“Yes. The royal family would provide our kind sanctuary and keep our presence in the valley a secret. In exchange, we would use our magic and our knowledge to help them in their times of need,” Pabbie explained. “Granted, this rarely ever occurred. The agreement may even have been forgotten. I believe King Agnarr was the first to come to us for aid in over a hundred years.”  
  
“Father... I can't imagine the story was passed down through the family in too active a manner. He must have found out about this agreement while exploring the royal library, or perhaps even the royal archives.”  
  
“Wait wait _wait_.” Olaf raised both his hands, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. It looked quite intense. “So if this thing with Flemmingrad happened over four hundred years ago and your _father_ was the one who led the trolls into this valley... How old are _you_ , exactly?”  
  
“ _Olaf_ ,” Elsa hissed, mortified and holding one hand to the side of her face to shield her embarrassment. “That's a very rude thing to ask.”  
  
“Three hundred and six years old,” Pabbie replied simply, not a hint of shame to be found.  
  
Olaf started. “Whoooahhh, ohhh, that is a _lot_ of years. I mean... You look very good for your age!”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Anna, who hadn't said a word for over fifteen minutes, rose to her feet. Her hand slipped out of Hans's hold as she did so. Had she had enough of this visit? Was she going to insist that they head back to Arendelle?  
  
Far from it, as it turned out. She fixed Pabbie with a fierce stare. “If you don't know what happened all those years ago, perhaps someone else will. We should travel to the other side of the Black Mountains and see if we can find a clue why the humans suddenly attacked.”  
  
All the trolls gasped. Sven produced a loud, confused grunting noise. Kristoff's jaw dropped. Elsa was so startled, a patch of ice began to form near her feet. Compared to all those reactions, Hans's frown was very mediocre. Then there was Olaf's joy, which manifested in a hop and a jeer.  
  
“Yaaay! We're going on an _adventure_!”  
  
\---------  
  
Snow fell from the sky at a steady pace and much as Anna wished her sister could make it stop, it was impossible. Elsa's powers could only thaw the snow and ice of her _own_ creation. Besides, Elsa wasn't even _here_. The cold bit at Anna's nose, her cheekbones and any other section of bare skin it could get to. Where Arendelle had still been sheltered from the wind, the Black Mountains were as exposed as could be. Pulling her scarf up to her nose a bit further, she leaned into Hans's side for more warmth.  
  
Before leaving, Elsa had warned her not to take unnecessary risks. That this whole trip wasn't even needed, certainly not with the weather like this. Anna couldn't accept that, though. This was their chance to find out, once and for all, whether the trolls were malicious at heart or the victim of unwarranted human violence. Either they'd been driven from their old home for good reason or the humans of that town, in their ignorance, had sown seeds of mistrust that still lingered within the trolls after all these centuries.  
  
She needed to know just who was in the right.  
  
Despite Olaf's excitement, he'd been asked to stay behind with Elsa. Anna knew it was unfair to exclude him, but if the humans of this town weren't fans of rock trolls, there was no telling how they might react to living snowmen. Besides, Elsa needed company too! She had so many responsibilities that she couldn't possibly leave Arendelle for a quest like this one. If there was anyone who could still bring a smile to Elsa's face even while Anna was away, it was Olaf.  
  
It was fine. They'd be back to the castle soon enough. The town Pabbie had spoken of was a part of Elsa's kingdom, so it wasn't even as if they were going abroad. They were only going to the very outskirts of Arendelle. Anna quite enjoyed seeing more of her land with her own eyes. The sled was so far up the mountain paths by now that there was a great view all around. Now, if only the snowfall would stop obscuring her vision...  
  
“I still don't know what you hope to find out here,” Kristoff said, his voice to some degree drowned out by the wind and muffled by his own scarf. His gaze was honed in on the road ahead as he carefully maneuvered Sven and the sled towards their destination. “If it happened four hundred years ago, no one will remember the details.”  
  
“That doesn't matter! Don't you get it? If the people of that town were friends with the trolls back then, surely there'd still be _stories_ about them. They'll have written it down in a book or... Or passed it down for generations! All we need is _one_ story about rock trolls and that'll tell us what we need to know. They'll either describe the trolls as mysterious allies or as horrible villains who hurt them.”  
  
Kristoff's scoff was so very loud, it overpowered the howl of the wind just fine. “The trolls didn't hurt _anybody_. Pabbie said the humans turned violent for no reason.”  
  
“How would Pabbie know? He wasn't there.”  
  
“Neither were the people of the town we're about to visit.”  
  
Now it was Anna's turn to scoff. Her scowl, fierce as could be, hurt her face. She leaned into Hans's side even further and felt an arm settling itself around her back. Ahhh, that was so comfy. She just _knew_ she could count on Hans. Unfortunately, just because he was sheltering her from the cold, that didn't mean he was choosing her side in all this. If anything, he was attempting to stay out of the disagreement and find a comfortable middle ground that had nothing to do with trolls or century-old grudges.  
  
“Now, now. Even if we find nothing, that doesn't mean this trip needs to be a wasted effort,” he said. Anna could tell just from his tone of voice that he was smiling. “We've been cooped up in the castle for a bit too long. We can consider it a vacation, just the three of us.”  
  
“Oh, is that why you brought Olly along?” Kristoff asked.  
  
Anna glanced down towards the leather, wool-lined pack around Hans's waist. Olly the Snowgie was hitching the most comfortable ride of all. Anna was willing to bet he was dozing at this very moment. More importantly, he wouldn't be seen quite so easily by people who had no experience with living snow creatures.  
  
“Olly won't be any trouble,” Hans said. “Aside from that, it would break my heart to leave him behind for too long. I can't say no to that adorable little face.”  
  
Anna giggled. Kristoff, on the other hand, sighed dramatically. She knew not to take it personally by now. He wasn't _really_ frustrated, he was just being a big baby about it all.  
  
At last, the open path along the side of the mountain curved and led them into a more obscured pass. With towering rock flanking the road, it became more difficult for the wind to lash at them. That didn't mean the howling noise had stopped, though. If anything, it seemed to echo along the walls. Anna glanced up, towards the sky, noting that the snow clouds were still as heavy as ever. The weather wasn't about to let up any time soon.  
  
On through the Black Mountains they moved, until all of a sudden the sled came to a stop. Sven cooed in dismay and Anna had to squint to see what the trouble was. An enormous boulder was up ahead, blocking their path.  
  
“Oh, _great_.” Kristoff dropped Sven's reins and slid himself off the sled's bench.  
  
Hans gave Anna a quick nudge with his elbow, then followed Kristoff's example. Anna hopped down from the sled as well, more than thankful for a chance to stretch her legs and move her body. It would help with the numbing cold. They walked up to the boulder, taking in the immensity of it. It was almost twice as high as Anna was, connecting on both sides to the walls of the mountain pass. Only small animals could slip past it, she was sure. While the top had turned white from snow, the lower half was riddled with protruding mushroom. They looked like benches for tiny little people to sit on. Some patches of moss added to the idea that the boulder had been here for so long already, it had become part of the nature surrounding it.  
  
Why had no one thought to clear it out?  
  
Kristoff was staring up at the thing with wide eyes, perhaps wondering how they were supposed to get around it. As for Hans, he walked towards the wall of the mountain pass and rubbed a gloved hand over a sign that Anna hadn't spotted earlier. An impressive amount of snow fell to the ground. Hans crouched down a bit in order to read the words.  
  
“Cursed troll rock. Please do not disturb. To pass, head back and use the tunnel on the right-hand side,” he said aloud. Then he stood up straight again, peering down the path they'd used. “Did you see a tunnel?”  
  
“I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention... I guess we'll have to go see,” Anna replied.  
  
She strode back to the sled and began to clamber onto it, pausing when she realized that Kristoff still stood frozen before the boulder. Hans followed her gaze and they waited, but their friend looked about as immobile as the stone blocking their way forward.  
  
“Kristoff! Are you coming?” Hans called.  
  
The quiet response was virtually drowned out by the wind's jeer. Anna exchanged a glance with Hans, who must not have caught the words either, as he shrugged helplessly.  
  
“Come again?”  
  
Kristoff finally turned away from the boulder and began to walk towards them, hands buried deep in the pockets of his coat. “It's _Flemmingrad_ ,” he said.  
  
“Wait... _What_?!” both Anna and Hans shouted at the same time. She would've proclaimed a jinx, were the situation not so serious. Hans must've followed that line of thinking, as he kept quiet as well.  
  
“When trolls die, their bodies turn to stone completely. So this... This must be what's left of Flemmingrad. He's still wedged in the pass...” Kristoff glanced over his shoulder towards the boulder, a pained expression on his face.  
  
“Hang on... Are you saying every single boulder in the world is a dead troll?!” Anna was horrified by the notion.  
  
“Of course not. There's way too many boulders in the world for something like that. I'm only saying that _some_ boulders might've been trolls in the past.”  
  
“That's _still_ horrible.”  
  
Now Anna could never look at another boulder or rock in the same way again. She'd never be able to sit down on top of one again. Even if trolls stuck to their own homes- their valleys and their distant bits of forest, there was no way to know for sure one of them hadn't strayed towards civilization and died there. Chills ran down her spine just imagining it.  
  
“Do you think the boulder is really cursed?” Hans asked. “Like it says on the sign?”  
  
“No... Well... We shouldn't risk anything,” Kristoff replied slowly.  
  
Once everyone was settled on the bench again, it was quite a struggle to turn the sled around. It only _barely_ fit sideways in the mountain pass and had to be backed up several times before it could rotate around all the way. Why couldn't there have been a warning sign _before_ they'd passed the tunnel? … Though, with all the snow, Anna supposed they would've missed it, just as they'd missed the tunnel itself.  
  
When at last they were free to head back down the path, she threw one last glance towards the boulder. The ballad hadn't done Flemmingrad's size justice at all. If he'd been twice as large as a human being, it was no wonder the people of that town might've been scared of him. The rocky hands belonging to a troll that big could've reduced a person to a bloodied, broken mess in an instant.  
  
\---------  
  
They'd made it to the town. Right on time too, in Kristoff's opinion. The snowfall was only getting worse and the last thing he wanted was to set up camp in this weather. As the sled moved through the streets of very-much-disturbed white, no one seemed to bat an eye at them. Newcomers and visitors must've been common. It was odd, considering the town was obscured by mountains from most sides, but Kristoff wasn't about to complain. Now they could find an inn with some stables and rest for the night. Anna's ridiculous little quest would have to wait until tomorrow.  
  
People were bustling about left and right. Kristoff was no stranger to working in the freezing cold, but found it odd that the average citizen with a house _right there_ would willingly face this little blizzard. Were they rationing for winter or something?  
  
The inn was a pretty big but _rustic_ sort of place. They found an empty stable for Sven and led him in there without further delay. Kristoff's poor reindeer pal had done more than enough work for today to deserve a comfy shelter and a good night's rest. Not to mention... _carrots_. Kristoff slipped a whole bunch of them Sven's way, along with a hug. With that, they removed their bags from the back of the sled, which remained out in the snow, and entered the inn.  
  
The place was oddly crowded. Every single chair and table had already been taken by people- no, _visitors_ from out of town. They didn't seem to be workers. Kristoff counted at least three families with children and two more couples. What was going on? It seemed a bit early for them to be visiting relatives during the Christmas season.  
  
Anna and Hans were by the counter immediately, waving a hand to get the attention of a kindly-looking innkeep. After setting a few drinks down for his customers, the man returned to his post to address the three of them. “Can I help you?”  
  
“Hello!” Anna chirped immediately. “Gosh, it's busy here, isn't it? But it's _cozy_! I like it! Um. Do you still have two rooms available?”  
  
The innkeep adjusted his glasses, looking apologetic. “Oof, I wish! Just one left, I'm afraid. You got here just in time.”  
  
“Awww... Well, is it big enough for three people?”  
  
“Don't worry about it,” Kristoff cut in immediately. “I'll go out and stay in the stables with Sven.”  
  
It wasn't as if he'd never spent a cold winter's night out in a barn before. Sure, he'd usually return to the Valley of the Living Rock whenever sun set in the harsh December months, but it hadn't always been possible. His two companions, on the other hand... They were used to nice, warm castles with fireplaces and several blankets. They wouldn't last five minutes out there, Kristoff was sure.  
  
“Don't be ridiculous! It's freezing out there!” Anna rebuffed.  
  
“It's fine, really.”  
  
“ _Kristoff_...”  
  
“Uhhh... If you want to stay in the room with three people, you can stay with three people. It's really no problem,” the innkeep said, evidently unsure why this discussion was even being held. Of course he wouldn't understand. How could a stranger possibly guess that Kristoff was like the third wheel to a two-wheeled carriage? Sharing a room could get uncomfortable _fast_.  
  
“Alright, three then!” Anna decided, not even giving Kristoff the _opportunity_ to utter any more of his obviously pointless arguments. “Um. Three people and also one reindeer in the stable. Does that cost extra?”  
  
“Not at all.”  
  
“Wonderful! I like this place already!”  
  
Kristoff groaned and wished upon a star that there were at least two beds in the room. If not, well, maybe he could fall asleep in one of the chairs here in the main hall. There was a comfy-looking one right by the fireplace, even if it was hosting an old man right now. That guy would have to go to bed eventually!  
  
The innkeep opened up a book and ran his finger down some sort of schedule. “Will you be staying until the end of the festival?”  
  
“Festival? There's a _festival_?” Anna's expression brightened up even further.  
  
Hans, meanwhile, produced a giddy sound from the back of his throat. He slung one arm around Anna's shoulder to pull her closer, just for a second. Then he backed himself away again, chuckling. It conveyed the sort of childish happiness that was both very un-prince-like and somehow endearing. “Aah, can you believe our luck? This must be fate!”  
  
“Are you celebrating Christmas early, or...?” Kristoff asked, frowning. A festival sure explained why the town was so active, but it was the middle of December. From what he knew of Christmas, celebrating that sort of thing early felt a little blasphemous.  
  
“Christmas?” The innkeep looked a bit alarmed at the notion. “Goodness, no! I'm talking about the _Flemmingrad_ festival. Is that really not why you're here?”  
  
At first, Kristoff thought he might not have heard correctly. One glance towards his companions told him he must have, because their faces mirrored the confusion he felt. Anna's lips had parted lightly, her eyebrows raised. Hans looked like he'd just seen a ghost flit by.  
  
“You... You mean the _fungus troll_ Flemmingrad?” Kristoff asked, because despite the chances of the name referring to anything else being _super_ low, he had to be sure.  
  
The innkeep smiled at the recognition. “Yes, of course! It's a three day festival, starting tomorrow. There'll be all sorts of traditional food, like stews and cakes. In the evenings, there'll be song, dance and storytelling.”  
  
“Oooh, that sounds amazing! We're definitely staying all three days,” Anna decided.  
  
“Didn't you promise your sister you'd be back as soon as possible?” Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest, but even so, a smile fought its way to his face. Anna was incorrigible.  
  
“Well, _yeaaahhh_... But it's a _festival_.”  
  
“I would recommend that you stay until the last night if you can,” the innkeep said. “We're all going to build a huge Flemmingrad effigy out of wood in the town square, then stuff it with hay and straw as we make our wishes.”  
  
For but the briefest of moments, Kristoff was delighted. Not just because Anna had clearly been _wrong_ about the townsfolk hating trolls, but because in a way, these people were _like him_. The celebration in Flemmingrad's name, the stews and the songs... More importantly, there was the Flemmingrad effigy to be stuffed with something similar to grass and the wishmaking. This couldn't be a coincidence. If they knew about troll traditions, they must've been very close to the troll community four hundred years ago.  
  
Then the brief moment passed. The innkeeper finished his explanation and in an instant, Kristoff felt as if he'd been doused with freezing water.  
  
“-And then we set it on fire.”  
  
“You... You do _what_?” Hans asked after a long, stunned silence.  
  
“We set it on fire! The burning of the Flemmingrad effigy symbolizes mankind's victory over the trolls.”  
  
The combination of pride and casual cheer on the innkeeper's face was sickening. Absolutely disgusting. Kristoff felt his toes curl inside his boots and promptly looked towards the fireplace, the flames a good representation of how he felt on the inside.  
  
Anna's feet shuffled over the wooden floor. Then she lowered her voice to something of a whisper. “So you... You really believe rock trolls are evil?”  
  
“I know so, Missy. We _all_ know so. A bit more than four hundred years ago, they placed a curse on this very town.”  
  
Kristoff had heard enough. He spun around on his heels and stomped towards the door. Both Anna and Hans called after him, but he refused to hear them. Cold, wet snow blew into his face the moment he stepped out into the street. That _still_ didn't deter him.  
  
If this was the truth Anna had hoped to find, he wanted no part in it.  
  
Trouble was, his companions weren't deterred either. They came storming out into the street after him. Hans was the first to reach him, grabbing a hold of his wrist to pull him to an immediate halt.  
  
“Kristoff, please wait,” he said. There was a note of desperation, or possibly _panic_ to his voice.  
  
All it did was rile Kristoff up even more, because how _dare_ Hans try and sympathize after enabling Anna to come out this far in the first place? How _dare_ he try to stop Kristoff from leaving when it was Hans himself who excelled at retreating to a quiet little area whenever he was upset?  
  
He tugged his hand out of the prince's hold and backed away. “No. You've got your answer now, alright? The _both_ of you. Now just... Just go back inside. I need to be alone for a bit.”  
  
“We _don't_ have the answer,” Hans insisted. When he seemed to understand that Kristoff wasn't buying it one bit, he shook his head with impatience. “Don't you see? If there really was a curse, it would've had to be broken. Do you believe killing one or two trolls would've lifted that? Or chasing the rest of them to the other side of the mountain? It doesn't make _sense_.”  
  
Anna came to stand by their side, not at all ready to boast. She looked, if anything, concerned. “Hans is right, Kristoff. We still don't know what happened. Sure, these people hate the trolls, but we still don't know _why_. I think that if we stay a bit longer and listen to the stories they have to tell, we'll find out for sure. So come back inside with us, alright?”  
  
Kristoff glanced towards the stable, where he could've easily gotten a good night's sleep by Sven's side. Then he took in his friends, who were only too eager to rush him back into the warmth of the inn. They were only too eager to _help_ him discover the full truth- every single shred of it. Did he really want to find more? What if it was somehow even worse than what they'd already learned?  
  
… No. He couldn't just look away. He was the one who'd insisted the trolls were his family, and so, he had to _know_.  
  
Hanging his head, he followed the two back inside a building full of ritualistic troll haters.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	19. The Woods

\---------

_“Every December we all gather 'round to pay our respects to a troll so renowned. In remembrance of the friend we had- A jolly old soul we called Flemmingrad.”_

\---------

Anna could call the innkeeper many things, but prone to exaggeration was not one of them. The town was absolutely buzzing today. Going by the amount of houses, she was sure everyone who lived here was out on the streets and then some. How had she never heard of this festival before? It took place in her own kingdom, even if it was a distant corner of it.

It'd stopped snowing overnight, leaving only a thick layer of white on the ground. Most of it had already been shoveled to the side by the time Anna, Kristoff and Hans left the inn. The townsfolk must've feared another downfall though, as tents had been set up here and there to host anything from big food stands to small stages. Children were playing an assortment of games, adults were drinking from big steaming mugs and snacks could be bought all over. In the town square, some people were already working on the base of a wooden construction. No doubt, it was the effigy the innkeeper had referred to.

Kristoff looked highly uncomfortable and Anna couldn't blame him. No matter how she felt about the trolls, the origin of the festival seemed in bad taste. Though, she supposed it depended on whether they truly were celebrating the victory over a group of evil magical creatures. If Flemmingrad and his fellows turned out to have been innocent all along, she would definitely put a stop to the festival in the future.

The upcoming Tale of Flemmingrad, as narrated by a local storyteller, would help them put some more pieces together, she hoped.

Just ten more minutes until then. A whole bunch of kids had already entered the storyteller's tent and were chattering away on the first few rows. Other than that, there wasn't much of an interest in the performance. The adults had already heard the tale often enough, Anna supposed. Would it be exciting? Would it be _long_? Would it have all the details they needed to hear? The fifth row of the audience would be good enough a spot for them. They took a seat on a long wooden bench and waited.

They'd tried several of the local festival snacks throughout the morning, but even now, Hans was still trying to finish a small, round tart. A filling of apple and walnut lay in the center of fluffy, thick crust. Anna had made her own tart disappear within minutes, but Hans was taking his time for some reason. That was perhaps not the wisest thing to do, because now that the plate was on his lap, it had attracted attention. The flap of his waist pack jiggled open and Olly poked his head out, his little eyes on the delicious pastry.

“Oop, no, that's not for you,” Anna said.

“Hmm?” Hans glanced downward as well, not having noticed Olly's appearance until now. “Hey, are you bored? Do you want to stretch your legs for a bit?”

“Don't take him out,” Kristoff whispered immediately. “The kids might see him and then there'll be trouble.”

“Why? Olly gets along with children just fine.”

“We're in a town full of people who think magic rock trolls are evil. How do you think they'll react to a magic little snowman?”

Hans blinked, then hastily closed the flap over Olly's head again. “Sorry, little guy. You'll have to wait until we get back to the inn.”

Anna sighed and glanced towards the stage again. The tense atmosphere was really getting to her now. Why couldn't they have visited a town with a normal, totally harmless festival? Like a 'two months after harvest' festival or something? She continued to pout up until Hans slid his half-eaten tart into her lap, asking her whether she wanted to finish it. That instantly made her day a bit better again.

Everyone broke into applause when the storyteller finally stepped onto the stage. He was wearing a rather old-fashioned outfit, Anna noticed, somehow even stuffier than clothes she'd seen around the castle. A hand was raised to his round, black hat and he tilted it jauntily. Anna heard a frustrated sound from Kristoff.

“Welcome, one and all!” the storyteller called, holding out both arms as if to pull the entire audience into an embrace. “I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long.”

The kids jeered in response, stomping their feet. They weren't the only ones who hadn't taken the remark as rhetorical, because even Hans replied with a bright “Not at all! You're right on time!” Anna smiled into the palm of her hand and looked towards the side, where Kristoff was crossing his arms over his chest. The storyteller plunged on, as eccentric as could be with numerous gestures of the hands, tiltings of the head and even ministrations of the foot.

“Oho! And behold, what a delightful crowd! It's good to see so many warm smiles on this cold winter's day! I do hope you are all prepared for the tale you are about to hear. Are you dressed warmly enough to stave off the chills which may canter down your spine? Steel your hearts and your courage, now. Cowards die many times before their deaths, while the valiant never taste of death but once. You young ones shall be the heroes of tomorrow! For now is the winter of our discontent, and-”

“Get on with it, Fridolf!” a grown woman called from just outside the tent. At least one of the children in the audience might've been hers, or perhaps she needed the stage for something else.

Fridolf the storyteller chuckled deeply. His chair, which had already been standing by on the stage, was pulled back and twirled around on one of its hind legs. Then the storyteller sat down. He began to share the tale as it lived on here in this town.

“Once upon a time, when the land was still full of benign magic and the huldrefolk hadn't yet taken refuge in the eastern mountain, this town was not a town of farmers; it was a town of _miners_. They were strong and they took pride in their work, for the fruit of their hard labor supplied even the castle of the royal family. All day, every day, our ancestors trekked to Miner's Mountain to dig for coal and other such necessities. All day, every day, carts would pass through the Black Mountains, taking goods to the capitol of Arendelle. Their troubles, however, began even before the mines were taken over by huldrefolk.”

“ _Trolls_!” a child in the audience yelled, her voice taking a surprisingly ferocious tone. Others began to join in and within a moment, half the audience was roaring the exact same word.

The storyteller held up a hand to silence them. “Yes, trolls. _Rock_ trolls, a large number of them inhabiting the woods to the northwest of here. They had been there for centuries already, never once causing trouble, until their new leader appeared. A large, _foul_ beast known as Flemmingrad. Where the previous troll elders had deigned humans to be below them, Flemmingrad declared war on the town. Every night, after the sun set, doors were locked and windows were barred, for the trolls wreaked havoc and played their mean little tricks. Just as summer's touch turned to fall, they cast a powerful curse of famine over this town.”

Anna heard Kristoff scoff under his breath. She too thought it was an odd turn of events. Pabbie hadn't mentioned that Flemmingrad was the leader of the trolls back then, nor that war had been declared against humans. Even with all the bad experiences she'd had with the trolls, it felt very uncharacteristic. The children in the audience, however, were on the edge of their seats now.

“Days bled into weeks and weeks bled into months. One winter's day, the people had had enough. Brushing aside the ache of starvation, they decided it was time to fight back. All who could still stand gathered up a weapon and together, they trekked into the woods where the trolls were hidden. Their fury combined, they chased the foul creatures up into the mountains. Their enormous leader, Flemmingrad, became stuck in the narrow pass, just as had been planned. After he was slain by the valiant, clever heroes of the town, the curse was lifted and the people recovered. Flemmingrad's body remains wedged in the pass to this day, a testament that we have not forgotten. Every December, we all gather 'round and celebrate our victory. We make our wish to keep the trolls at bay before the effigy of Flemmingrad and we set it ablaze, the flames of our ancient fury renewed. We ring the church bells, for the holy sound is unbearable to the ears of a heathen troll.”

The children were jeering now. Even some _adults_ were joining in. Kristoff looked like he was about to be sick and Hans's fingers squirmed in discomfort. The storyteller leaned forward in his seat, cupping a hand alongside his mouth as if he were about to share a secret.

“Some say that the surviving trolls still reside in the woods and, by the power of our wish, can no longer emerge from there. One must not seek them out, though. Just as you might decide to keep an animal which crosses your path, the trolls keep whoever enters their domain. For over four hundred years, no man nor woman has ever returned from the depths of those accursed woods.”

And with that, it seemed, the tale was done. The storyteller got up and left the stage, taking his chair with him, even as applause erupted all through the audience. Anna didn't join in. Neither did her two companions. They stayed where they were, watching all the younger children from the front rows run off to play while the parents scattered at a much slower pace.

“... Well. _That_ sure didn't make things look any better,” Kristoff finally said.

“I don't understand. Why would the trolls declare war on an entire town?” Hans asked. He turned round in his seat to cast another glance down the street, as if he'd suddenly find the answer staring him right in the face. No such thing happened. Pouting, he sat back down. “... It seems as if both the trolls _and_ the humans passed on the claim that they'd done nothing wrong and were suddenly attacked, but that can't be right. Someone would've had to cast the first stone.”

“Maybe the humans did something to upset the trolls without realizing it,” Kristoff guessed. “Liiike... Maybe their mining operation in the nearby mountain was causing some kind of harm. Or maybe they started cutting down part of the woods that the trolls lived in. But then... Why not just _talk_ to the people of the town? Pabbie said the humans were trusted allies of the trolls.”

Hans crossed his arms and leaned backwards, peering up at the sky. “It feels as if we're still missing something important, doesn't it?”

“And I know exactly where we have to go to find that missing thing!” Anna declared. She rose up from the wooden bench and began to sidle her way towards the edge of the seating area, but paused when she realized her friends weren't following. Impatient, she looked back at them and tapped a foot against the ground. “Well, come on! We only have a few hours until the sun begins to set!”

“I'm sorry, _where_ are we going, exactly?” Kristoff asked her.

Anna rolled her eyes. Wasn't it obvious? She'd already decided on their next destination before the story had truly reached its close, but apparently, the two guys she loved weren't as quick on the uptake. “The _woods_! _Duh_!” she said.

Kristoff grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back down towards the wooden bench, his eyes narrowing. “You mean the _cursed_ woods that no one returns from?” he hissed at her.

“Oh please. That's just a story they tell to stop kids from wandering into the woods by themselves. There's nothing to be scared of,” Anna patted Kristoff's hand gently. “Besides, the trolls kept _you_ , right? But they didn't _keep_ you, keep you. They let you leave the valley just fine. If there's a sister tribe out here, why would they resort to actual kidnapping?”

“I... Well... That's...”

“We've heard from both the trolls who made it through the mountain pass and we've heard from the humans. If the trolls who _didn't_ make it through really still exist, maybe it's time we got _their_ side of the story.”

“I can't argue with that logic,” Hans chimed in. Anna shot a grateful smile his way.

Kristoff, on the other hand, scuffed one of his feet against the ground. “I don't know... I feel like the more we learn, the more _bad_ things we learn. Maybe it's better to just...”

“ _Give up_?” Anna guessed, astounded by the attitude. “Kristoff, what are you saying? You were the one who believed in the trolls, remember? Don't you want to be proven right so you can rub my face in it?”

She bit her bottom lip as she waited for the inevitable confirmation, because come on, how could anyone _not_ want to investigate this mystery further? Wasn't this why they were here? Weren't those woods calling out to them, begging them to come and find the truth? Hadn't all this been going on in her kingdom, right under her own nose?

Kristoff exchanged a quick glance with Hans, then finally smirked. “... You're on. But before we go recklessly charging in there, let's see if we can find out a bit more about those woods and the supposed curse.”

“I think I know just who to ask,” Hans said, gesturing towards the stage with a sideways motion of his head.

The storyteller was still lingering in the tent, one hand on the back of the chair as he exchanged a few quick words with other townsfolk. Anna was the first to reach him and thus the first to be greeted with a toothy smile. When Kristoff and Hans caught up to her, they were all but ignored.

“Well hello there, milady.” The storyteller bowed quite deeply, removing his hat with a flourishing motion of the arm before standing up straight again. “Did you enjoy the tale?”

“Ah- You certainly got very wrapped up in telling it! It's... Fridolf, right?”

“That's right. And I don't think I've ever seen you around town, Miss...?”

“I'm Princess Anna-” she began, only for Kristoff to grab her arm and loudly cut across her.

“Princess Anna's _biggest fan_ , yes,” he stated. “She's very proud of that, keeps telling people wherever we go. But enough of that now, alright?”

Anna blanched just a bit. They'd made an agreement not to tell anyone in town who they really were, but sure enough, she'd forgotten all about that in the span of only half a day. Nothing for it but to bluff her way through Kristoff's excuse, now. “Ahhh, but Princess Anna is so funny and amazing, right? Why shouldn't I tell people?”

“While I'd be the first to admit that Princess Anna is a very endearing young lady, I would say that _my_ idol is Prince Hans. Doesn't he strike you as a charming, upstanding gentleman?” Hans asked with a grin so wide, Anna could tell he was trying not to laugh. Kristoff nudged him in the back, right between the ribs, eliciting a discreet “oof”.

“Anyway, my name is, ah, _Elly_ ,” Anna said. “And these are my friends, ah...”

“Kai,” Hans said.

“Sven,” Kristoff said. Anna stared at him. Why was _he_ using a fake name?

“... We're visiting from the castle town.”

“Well well weeell... You came all the way from the castle town for our little festival? That's a rare treat.” Fridolf spun the chair around on one of its legs again, then moved it aside. “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

“We're certainly enjoying the food,” Hans said, to which Anna couldn't help but nod in agreement.

“Listen, we were wondering,” Kristoff interjected, still as far from pleasant small talk as one could get. “You mentioned that some trolls might still live in those woods. Is that really true?”

Fridolf seemed almost amused by the question. The corners of his lips certainly quirked. “Who knows? A story is still nothing more than a story and that's why it's up to someone like me to _tell_ it. The festival is a wonderful event, but it begs the question: Did the rock trolls ever exist at all?”

“The big cursed boulder up in the mountain pass sure suggests it,” Kristoff said in a very curt, harsh manner. Either he was still upset about the boulder in question, or he was getting frustrated with Fridolf's attitude. It was hard to tell.

“Hah! Boulder, yes. Cursed? We don't know,” Fridolf said with a shrug. “Nobody cares to find out for sure. It's all _superstition_. The same goes for those woods.”

“Sooo... People who go in there _do_ return safely?” Anna asked.

“Oh. No, that bit is _real_. Don't think I've ever heard of someone who went in there and came back. All I know about are the ones who declared they'd go investigate the woods, only to never be seen again. Got cornered by wolves, maybe.” Fridolf fell silent for a bit, as if he was prepared to leave it at that, only to jump right into the thick of it all again. He fixed them all with a piercing stare. “So if you three were thinking about going to see for yourselves, _don't_. Trust me, there's nothing worthwhile to find there anyway.”

Anna raised both her hands, chuckling nervously. “Us? Nooo, we'd never think about going into some dangerous woods! Hah! That's just silly!”

Fridolf didn't quite seem to believe her, as he raised both his eyebrows. “Right. Either way, you're better off staying in town. There's two more days of festival fun coming up and tomorrow's the night of the big dance. Everyone will be there, I'm sure.”

“Ooh, that's good advice. Thank you!”

Kristoff and Hans both offered their gratitude as well, though Kristoff's was more of a mutter than anything else. They turned to leave, only to hear Fridolf raise his voice.

“Hang on, Miss Elly!” was what he'd called, and it took Anna a few seconds to remember that was meant to be _her_.

So she turned round again. “Um. Yes?”

“If you're from the castle town and Princess Anna's greatest fan, you must know this. I'm not one to gossip, but word's been going around town... Her Majesty, Queen Elsa... Does she really have magic powers? Is that what caused that mysterious snowfall during the summer last year?”

“Oh, yes,” Anna admitted, because she knew there was no point in hiding it. Everyone in the castle town was already more than aware, as were dignitaries from other countries. “Queen Elsa can summon snow, ice and even bring life to snowmen.”

“But that's... Isn't that...” Fridolf trailed off, seemingly choosing his next words very carefully. “ _Unnatural_? And dangerous?”

For a split second, Anna bristled. Then she managed to push those feelings down again. “Not at all. Queen Elsa is a very kind, loving ruler. She uses her magic for the benefit of everyone in Arendelle. If you were to come to the castle town during one of _our_ festivals, I think you'd understand.”

“Huh... Hey, who knows? Perhaps, some day, I'll make that trip. It'll make another good story to add to my collection. Just picture it; The tale of the Snow Queen...” Fridolf spread out both his hands, looking up towards the tent's ceiling.

“I'd love to hear that sometime,” Anna said, and she meant it.

After saying their farewells to Fridolf a second time, they left the tent and walked out into the streets, where they became absorbed into the crowd. Kristoff grunted under his breath, his feet stomping even more than usual.

“What a clown,” he ended up grumbling.

“So... We're still going into those woods, right?” Anna asked.

Hans said nothing. For the longest moment, Kristoff didn't say anything either. When at last he spoke, it was with a lighthearted air.

“I don't know why you're even asking. Your mind's made up either way, isn't it?”

“You bet it is!”

Kristoff sighed. “I'll prepare the sled later, then. Right now, I want at least two of those apple tarts. And carrots for Sven.”

Anna fought off a laugh. It was just like Kristoff to be that gruff about it. Her chest warmed with the realization that he was willing to take that gamble and trust her. Over a year ago, he would've still called her a fool for even _thinking_ about going into supposedly cursed woods. Their relationship really had come very far, hadn't it?

\---------

The sun, now close to setting, had become filtered quite a bit through dense treetops and branches. Kristoff was glad he'd insisted they light their lanterns _before_ entering the woods, as it had definitely become difficult to see by now and things would only keep getting worse. Humans never entered this place and it _showed_. With no paths to follow, Sven was having a lot of trouble pulling the sled onward. They were lucky it was winter, or the undergrowth would've been even _worse_. As it was, Sven could still pull the sled over the snow and through obstacles taking the form of brittle, dry twigs.

How far into the woods would they have to go to find a sign of trolls? About ten minutes had passed since they'd passed the first few trees.

Having lived in the valley for so long, Kristoff was sure he'd be able to spot the same telltale clues around here. Snow disturbed by small, humanoid feet, a prickle in the back of one's neck, patches of mushroom and moss which would have chunks missing... None of those things were present so far. It was just a cold, quiet forest. Granted, there wasn't much moss or mushroom to find. It had all been picked clean, by the looks of things.

Both Anna and Hans had brought their swords. Kristoff's first reflex had been to be offended, only to remember that there were many dangerous things to be found in strange, unfamiliar woods. Looking at it like that, he began to regret his usual insistence that he didn't need a weapon. If there were a pack of hungry wolves or bandits in here, he'd be defenseless. _Again_.

With how calm the weather had been until now, it came as a surprise when a gust of cold wind hit them. It ruffled Sven's fur, tickled as much of Kristoff's face as it could reach and stirred a very distinct tingling sensation throughout his entire body. Then, just as quickly as it'd come, it was gone, as if a single wave of air had simply washed over them.

“Brrr,” he said, trying to shake the tension back out of his muscles by shrugging his shoulders. “That was unpleasant.”

“Really? You think so?” Hans asked.

Kristoff's eyes shot towards the side and immediately, he noted that Anna's gloved hand was holding firmly onto Hans's own, the combination settled in the comfortable ditch between the duo's legs. Resentment hit him, just for a split second. Then he told himself off for it. _Of course_ the two of them were keeping each other warm with their love, they had every right to do that. Wanting to be included was entirely too premature, even now.

“... Yeah. But that's okay. A little chill never hurt anybody. We'll just have to keep pushing on.” Kristoff shrugged again, then sat back on the bench and stretched his back. Somehow, the earlier chill still hadn't quite left him and now his body was cramping up. He really ought to stop slouching.

On and on they moved. Another half hour passed. By now, Hans had taken Olly out of his pack and allowed the little Snowgie to sit on his shoulder, huddled up against the fold of his scarf. Anna was yawning widely. Kristoff's mind began to reel with questions. Where were they even _going_? How big was this place? Were they headed to the center of the woods, or were they about to exit on the other side without ever having gotten close to the center of it all? They should've asked for a map of their surroundings.

Why wouldn't his muscles stop aching? It wasn't _that_ cold.

Hans started quite suddenly, snapping Kristoff out of his thoughts. A brief moment of silence passed, then Hans made a snatch for the nearest lantern and held it up. “Hold on. There, do you see that?” he asked.

Kristoff looked towards the direction that was indicated to him and squinted. He could tell that Anna was doing the same thing. At first, all he could see was slender outlines of trees, along with the bulkier outlines of rock and shrubbery. Then Hans raised the lantern a bit higher and in the glow, he spotted it; the one thing that was out of place. A distant silhouette was standing there. A person?

“Hello?” Hans called out to them.

No response. Not even movement. A very bad feeling overcame Kristoff. Impending danger. But what was there to fear about an unmoving shadow? Maybe it wasn't a person at all, only the upright remains of a cracked, fallen tree. In the darkness, it was hard to tell.

“... What do we do?” Anna asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Common sense told Kristoff to turn the other way. Then he remembered why they were out here in the first place, so instead, he steeled himself. “Let's have a closer look.”

He tugged at Sven's reins, ignoring the way his fingers refused to curl the way they ought to. He also ignored Sven's sound of protest. Clearly, Kristoff wasn't the only one who had second thoughts about this. If they didn't investigate, though, they'd never find the truth.

“C'mon, buddy. It's fine,” he said. Usually, he would've leaned forward to give Sven a few reassuring pats, but now it felt like it would cost him more energy than he could give.

After a few more tugs, Sven relented and turned the sled towards the mysterious figure. They moved forward, the snow crunching beneath hooves and rustling beneath the steel runners. Kristoff's breath became caught in the back of his throat. He suffered an extra jolt of alarm when he felt something touch his arm through the layers of his sleeve, but one glance downward reassured him; Anna had placed her hand there. With that, he released a huff originating from the depths of his lungs. Everything was going to be fine. It wasn't anything dangerous.

… It was a statue.

Sven came to a halt right beside the thing and Hans dangled the lantern as high above it as his arm would allow. Yes, there was no doubt about it. From the rough texture to the gray color, then on to how the details had worn off over time... This was absolutely not a real person.

“Huh? What is...?” he heard Anna ask.

“I don't understand. The townsfolk abandoned these woods four hundred years ago.” Hans stood up straight and began to turn every which way, hoping to illuminate as much of their surroundings as he could. Finally, he hopped down from the bench, sank into a crouch and pushed the snow near the statue's base to the side. It revealed nothing more than dirt. There wasn't even a stone platform to connect to the statue's feet. “There's no other signs of civilization out here. No bricks, no wooden boards, nothing. So what is a statue doing all the way out here? Did someone attempt to dispose of it?” he went on to ask.

“Hmm... Maybe they thought it was a bad likeness and tried to make the evidence disappear. That _is_ an awfully big nose it's got,” Anna suggested. It was hard to tell whether she was joking or not.

Either way, Kristoff chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Or maybe it means that we're getting close. Just because there's no sign of _human_ civilization doesn't mean there isn't a civilization.”

“... You're saying a troll sculptor is responsible for that big nose?” Anna asked.

“Who knows?”

“It seems like a good place to stretch our legs, regardless,” Hans pointed out. “I don't know about you two, but I'm beginning to get chilly. A bit of walking will do me some good.”

“Oh good, I thought I was the only one,” Kristoff said.

He slid himself off the sled's bench, only to stumble when his feet hit the ground. Had he not grabbed hold of the dashboard, he might've fallen. Somehow, his knees had locked up and stayed bent when they were meant to stretch. He was cramped up worse than he thought. A mild struggle later, he was standing upright, more than a little embarrassed. Luckily, neither of his human companions had seen it happen. Hans was too busy helping Anna down from the sled in his usual, gentlemanly fashion. Olly had hopped to the ground and was now traipsing through the snow. The only one to shoot a concerned stare his way was Sven.

So Kristoff chuckled awkwardly and hobbled over to his reindeer pal. “Heh, hey. Don't worry, it's just a cramp.”

“ _But you never have cramps like that,_ ” Sven 'reminded' him. The same thought had been lingering in the back of Kristoff's own head, which was precisely why Sven would've said it.

“Yeah... Well, there's a first time for everything,” Kristoff replied. He didn't even know who he was trying to convince anymore.

Regardless, he moved his hand towards Sven's neck for a nice, soothing pat, only to come across another small problem. His fingers were still flexed, just as they'd been while holding onto the reigns, and were now having trouble uncurling. It felt as if a thick, hard paste was hampering his joints. While he managed to flatten his hand out in the end, it was with difficulty.

Something was wrong.

He walked away from Sven again, towards one of the lanterns on the back of the sled. Apprehension surged through him, causing his chest to ache and his limbs to tingle. The fingers of his right hand took hold of his left mitten and then, carefully, he tugged it off.

**To Be Continued**


	20. One Winter's Day

\---------  
  
_“One winter's day, humans crept up so fast, the trolls had to roll through a tight mountain pass. But dear old giant Flemmingrad, he tried to go through, but got stuck just a tad. The people were frightened and pulled out a sword, so Flemmy, he blended right into the fjord. The ballad of old Flemmingrad. He never got out and for that we are sad.”_  
  
\---------  
  
“Uhhh... _Guys_? I uh- I've got a problem.”  
  
Hans blinked, then glanced towards the source of that very odd, hesitant proclamation. Kristoff was standing on the other side of the sled, a nearby lantern illuminating his somewhat shocked features. His brows were furrowed and his lips still slightly parted in what might've been a lasting gasp.  
  
“What is it?” Anna asked, already walking along the back of the sled for a closer look. Hans followed her without so much as a second thought.  
  
“Weeell... This.”  
  
Kristoff held up his left hand and at first, Hans believed it was stained with dust or dried mud. Odd, as there shouldn't have been anything like that out here in a snowy forest. Then he got close enough to _really_ see it. Great portions of Kristoff's fingers, his palm and even the back of his hand were covered in a layer of _rock_.  
  
“Wait... What?” was all Hans could think to utter. Was this a prank?  
  
“No! That can't be! Is that...?” Anna grabbed hold of Kristoff's hand, moving it even closer to the lantern and running her fingers all over it. Then she tried to tug his sleeve as far up as the fabric would allow, revealing that _whatever_ the problem was had spread across Kristoff's arm as well. “But _how_?!” she exclaimed.  
  
“I don't know. But it feels like it's all over my body and it's getting worse.” Kristoff rubbed at the side of his neck, pushing the scarf down as he did so. Sure enough, there was even more rock lined along his throat, even moving up behind his ear.  
  
“Does it hurt?”  
  
“Not really? It's more like a really bad cramp. And my body's getting kind of heavy.”  
  
“Here, sit! Sit, _sit_!”  
  
Anna guided Kristoff towards the ground by his arm, where he sank into something of a kneeling position. Immediately, Olly came running up to him, squeaking and attempting to clamber into his lap. That gesture didn't seem to go appreciated, but wasn't fought off either. Meanwhile, Hans looked back at the statue, taking in its odd stance. One of its hands was pressed against its chest, the other placed on its hip. While the facial features had become worn with time, Hans thought he might've seen something close to pain etched on there. The image of Flemmingrad's remains, still wedged in that mountain pass, flashed through his mind. Now he was even more horrified. He didn't want it to be true, but this was the only logical explanation.  
  
“... The curse. This is why any human who enters the woods doesn't return. They turn to _stone_ ,” he said quietly.  
  
Anna shrieked and tugged off her own mittens to inspect her hands. Hans hesitated for a second, then followed her lead. His skin was still perfectly normal, perfectly bare and perfectly cold in the evening chill. It was the same for Anna, who made sure to have a good look at Hans's fingers once she was content with her own. Why was only Kristoff being affected?  
  
“We have to get out of here,” Anna said immediately. “Go back the way we came. Once we leave the woods, the curse will lift, right?”  
  
Kristoff's eyes narrowed in a disbelieving sort of way. “I'm... not sure that's how it works...”  
  
“But we have to _try_!” Anna insisted, putting her foot down in a literal sense.  
  
“There's another way. If the trolls placed this curse on the woods, _they_ can lift it. This is proof, right? That they're in here somewhere? We just have to find them,” Kristoff reasoned. That was an awfully calm proposal for someone in his situation.  
  
“What if we _don't_ find them in time? Kristoff, the longer we're in here, the worse it'll get for you!”  
  
Feeling his heart pound in his chest, Hans scrunched his eyes shut and tried to block out the rest of the conversation. His jaw grit and the mittens were clenched in a hard grip. What were they supposed to do now? If they continued their search for the trolls, they could never get Kristoff out of the forest in time. But if they hurried to the exit now and it didn't work, they wouldn't have enough time to go back in for the trolls. How long had the curse been affecting Kristoff's body already? If they knew _that_ , then perhaps they could calculate how long they still had _left_.  
  
Had it been from the moment they passed the first trees? … No. The single gust of wind that had washed over them; that must've been the moment the curse hit. Kristoff had described it to be 'unpleasant', even though it had been more like a warm breeze to Hans. He'd felt just fine, because Anna had been right by his side and just for extra assurance that she was there, he'd been holding onto her hand.  
  
… That was it.  
  
His eyes opened again to see that Anna and Kristoff were still arguing, staring each other down. “An act of true love will break any curse,” he said. Immediately, the both of them whirled their heads around to face him, their eyes wide.  
  
“You mean...?” Anna trailed off into breathless wonder.  
  
“The two of us were holding hands. Perhaps that is why we weren't affected. We may have been protected by the power of true love. And if that's what happened... You can use it to save Kristoff. True love's kiss would do the trick.”  
  
Anna cast a timid glance down at Kristoff's kneeling form and that exact same moment, Kristoff peered up at _her_ in turn. Startled, they both looked away from each other again. Even in the semi-darkness, Hans could make out the blush on two pairs of cheeks.  
  
“I... I don't know about this, Hans,” Kristoff said awkwardly. “I get what you're saying, but calling it true love is a bit too... _much_ , maybe?”  
  
Anna nodded with such vigor she might've caused herself to become dizzy. “Yeah! I mean, I _adore_ Kristoff, of course. And I absolutely want to save him, and I would be just _crushed_ if something happens to him, but I don't know if that's enough to... You know. True love is a pretty big thing.”  
  
“Didn't the troll elder say that purity is what makes love true?” Hans asked, quirking his head to the side. “If you're sincere about your feelings, that would be enough.”  
  
“III guess that's true?” Anna folded her hands together, her thumbs twiddling in a restless manner.  
  
As for Kristoff, he made a very stiff gesture with both hands. “But. I mean. _Hans_. Come on. You're standing right there.”  
  
Hans couldn't quite stop himself from chuckling. Not out of amusement, rather, to hide his frustration. Why were they still talking about this? He was giving both Anna and Kristoff an opportunity to do exactly what they must've wanted to do for quite some time, if they hadn't already done so behind his back. A curse was hardly how he'd wanted to cement this next step, but there was nothing to be done about it now.  
  
“I'm the one who suggested this, remember?” he pointed out, practically forcing the words out as he couldn't understand why this even needed to be said. “And I've told you before that I don't mind. We don't have the time to argue about this further. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”  
  
Anna cast another glance down at Kristoff and this time, she held his gaze. There was hesitation there, but that was about it. “Oh... If you're sure...” she mumbled. “Um. Alright. Here goes.”  
  
She crouched down before him and Hans could see her eyes flicker even further down, to Kristoff's mouth. They both appeared mortified. Several seconds passed. Then, finally, Anna placed her hand on Kristoff's cheek and leaned in. At first, it was only a brush of the lips. Then it become more of a _shove_. Kristoff began to glow- not in the emotional sense. His skin lit up with a discreet hue, something which changed from blue to purple to yellow so fluently that it reminded Hans of the northern lights. This... This was good, right? This meant it was working?  
  
Hans didn't realize he'd been smiling until a breath of relief passed by his own lips.  
  
Anna was the first to back away and while Kristoff still appeared to be caught in a state of shock, she wasted no time with grabbing his hand to hold it up. Hans brought the lantern a bit closer. On first glance, it seemed his body had gone back to normal. Then Hans took the examination a bit further. There was still rock between Kristoff's fingers and on his knuckles. Traces of it ran up his arm, as well.  
  
Hans could feel his heart sink at the realization. Perhaps this was something that couldn't be fixed at all. Perhaps this was what humans deserved for trespassing into the trolls' domain. But why _Kristoff_ , of all people? He was the one person out there who genuinely believed the trolls could be good. He was the one who always sacrificed his own happiness for others. He was the kindest, most selfless human anyone could ever find in this world. If he turned to stone- if he _died_... That just wasn't acceptable. Why couldn't it have been Hans instead?  
  
Kristoff was still staring blankly ahead, a light hue of red lingering on his face. “Whoah... That was...”  
  
“Not enough,” Anna declared, waving Kristoff's hand in front of his own face to get his attention. “It wasn't _enough_! It's just like when Elsa's magic was freezing me over and I kissed Hans for the first time. All it did was buy me some more time.”  
  
“That's good, right? That means we can keep searching for the trolls.”  
  
Kristoff made to get up, but Hans stopped him by pressing a hand down on his shoulder. He didn't know exactly what he was thinking; perhaps he _wasn't_ thinking. All he knew were the motions his body went through. He dropped down into a crouch, closed his eyes and pressed his mouth up against Kristoff's.  
  
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  
  
In that brief moment where he was kissing someone who was _not_ Anna, time seemed to stand still. It allowed an assortment of delayed beliefs and notions to shoot through his head, and he wondered vaguely where those had been only a second ago. He was making a fool of himself. If his family could see him now- If _anyone_ could see him now... He was meant to marry the Princess of Arendelle. This was absolutely wrong and improper. But it didn't matter, did it? No, it _didn't_ matter, because Kristoff could die if the curse weren't removed. Anna would lose someone she loved and Hans, well, he'd lose someone precious too. If his last shreds of dignity were the price he had to pay for even the slightest chance of Kristoff's survival, he'd gladly toss them to the wind.  
  
A glow forced its way through his eyelids; something similar to the lights he'd seen only moments ago. Blue and red and green... It wasn't until those hues ebbed back into darkness that he dared to release Kristoff's shoulder and back himself out of the kiss.  
  
Absolute silence.  
  
Kristoff appeared even more shocked than before, his mouth still slightly agape. Hans quickly looked away from him and came to find that Anna had raised both of her hands to her face in a very poor attempt to hide her own surprise. Even _Sven's_ jaw had dropped. The only one who wasn't at all bothered was Olly, who was now abandoning Kristoff's lap in favor of Hans's.  
  
Nobody dared to speak until at last, Kristoff snapped out of his reverie and assessed his own fingers again. And his palm. And his wrist. “It's... It's _gone_ ,” he gasped, his fingertips running along smooth skin wherever he checked. “I can't believe it, it's... _Hans_ , you...!”  
  
An awkward clearing of the throat, then Hans took hold of Olly and rose to his feet with a wry smile. “Glad I could help.”  
  
Kristoff looked as if he was about to say something else, only to become distracted by something _behind_ Hans. Cautiously glancing over his shoulder, Hans could see what had caught the man's interest. The darkness of the woods had become marred with something quite familiar.  
  
\---------  
  
Anna was still struggling to process just what'd happened in the span of... _How_ much time? One minute? Five minutes? Half an hour? Her mind was racing so badly that she couldn't tell anymore. Kristoff had gone from fully cursed to _half_ cursed, to seemingly completely cured in what felt like several blinks of her eyes. And she'd kissed him for the first time. She'd actually _kissed_ Kristoff. Right in front of Hans. It'd felt exactly as she'd expected; warm and comforting and not at all rough. But it hadn't been enough and the next moment, _Hans_ had kissed Kristoff. And it had helped remedy the curse, just like Anna's kiss.  
  
The situation was both everything she'd hoped for and a completely disorienting _mess_.  
  
But she wasn't even allowed to ponder _that_ for too long, because now the both of them were staring off into the distance. Anna couldn't blame them for being taken aback. _Glowing crystals_. There were several of them, all different colors and all scattered, hidden in the bushes.  
  
“It's _them_ ,” Kristoff whispered.  
  
“What do we do?” Anna asked in a whisper of her own.  
  
She expected their friend to address them. To offer a sincere greeting, or perhaps a claim of peace or forgiveness. That didn't happen. Kristoff stood up straight and walked over to the back of the sled. From within, he retrieved his lute. There were a few idle strums of the strings, then he began to play in earnest. The ballad was one Anna recognized, if only through idle mentions.  
  
“There once was a troll held in highest esteem, for his manner was kind and his fungus did gleam! The baaallad of old Flemmingrad! Beloved by each troll girl and every troll lad! They gifted him berries and moss cake and stew. He gobbled with zeal as he zealously grew... To suuuch a laaarge old Flemmingrad. He always felt full and for that, he was glad!”  
  
Kristoff's fingers, now once again as nimble as could be, halted their playing. Anna heard a few leaves rustle. The glowing crystals came closer and several pairs of beady eyes peered out from the undergrowth. Kristoff laughed quietly and continued the melody.  
  
“They loved to watch him ro-hoooll, ro-hoooll, _rooo-hoooll_! With laughter he would ro-hoooll, rooo-hooo-hoooooll!”  
  
A single troll stepped out into the open. While Anna was no expert, it appeared to be rather young. The teenage equivalent of a troll, perhaps. It blinked up at them. Soon after, another troll emerged from the bushes, and another, and another... Before long, they were almost surrounded by a dozen of the little rock creatures. They looked awfully bare, she thought vaguely. Where the trolls in the Valley of the Living Rock all wore clothes of moss and donned hair of dried grass, these trolls had a minimum of green and sooner resorted to _wood_ to cover themselves.  
  
Olly hopped down from Hans's shoulder, but immediately got himself stuck in the thick layer of snow. And still, the trolls remained perfectly quiet. They seemed _apprehensive_.  
  
“Hello!” Anna said, breaking the silence.  
  
A few more blinks, then the trolls began to whisper to each other. No matter how hard Anna tried, she couldn't make out the words.  
  
“Um. I know you must be confused to see us here. … _Not_ cursed. My name's Anna, and this is-”  
  
“You know about true love's kiss,” one of the trolls cut through her. While it wasn't exactly a forceful sort of claim, it was filled with suspicion all the same.  
  
“Well, yes.”  
  
“And Flemmingrad,” another troll pointed out. “The big one sang a song about Flemmingrad. A _good_ song. Like one of our own ballads.”  
  
“It was taught to me by your kind, actually,” Kristoff said. Several trolls gasped, others moved straight into skepticism. Kristoff must've realized he'd wandered into dangerous terrain, as he hastily tried to explain. “I mean- I was _raised_ by them. They're the ones who sent us here. They live on the other side of the Black Mountains, because... Well, their parents and grandparents are the ones who made it safely through the mountain pass before Flemmingrad got stuck there. Do you understand?”  
  
The trolls began to whisper to each other again. It was nothing but a hissed jumble.  
  
“Please, we don't mean you any harm,” Anna said, sinking down into a crouch. “We're friends of the other trolls and we want to be _your_ friends too. We came here just to find you- to find out what happened to Flemmingrad.”  
  
“He was killed,” one of the trolls replied.  
  
A dark, gloomy sort of tone was mingled into the remark, as all its fellows regarded them with harsh stares. Anna squirmed uncomfortably. It felt almost like _they_ were the ones being held responsible for Flemmingrad's death.  
  
“Yeah, we... We know that much,” Kristoff mumbled awkwardly.  
  
“That's why you placed a curse on the woods, isn't it? To make sure no other human could come here to hurt you?” Anna asked. “But it's alright. We'll get to the bottom of this. We just need to figure out what happened four hundred years ago. Do _you_ know why the people of the town suddenly attacked?”  
  
“For no reason!” a younger troll squeaked.  
  
“Right! My grandpapa said that we always got along well with humans in the past,” another, much larger troll elaborated. “In the past, our kind would often venture outside the woods and visit the town at night. We played games with their young, we composed songs for them, they read books to us... And Flemmingrad had always _loved_ their food.”  
  
Yet another troll nodded sagely. “Aye, my mama shared the same story. She went into the town very often. They would return to the woods with tarts and potatoes for stews and biiig puffy rolls of bread for Flemmingrad. Flemmingrad would gobble and gulp and _poof_! Grow even bigger! Then, everyone would watch him roll until the dawn's light forced us back into slumber for another day.”  
  
“Well... Did they _pay_ the humans for the food they took?” Kristoff asked, though it was clear from his tone of voice that he could already guess the answer. Anna could guess it too.  
  
“ _Pay_?” several trolls echoed back at them.  
  
“You know. With money,” Kristoff clarified.  
  
The trolls exchanged glances with one another, muttering among themselves and shrugging. Anna distinctly heard several variations of the question “what's money?” and even a “is the human speaking nonsense? Did our curse affect his tongue?” mingled in there.  
  
Kristoff heaved such a deep sigh, the force of it could've accidentally knocked a few insects out of the air if there'd been any out here. “Well, that solves that mystery,” he said. “Curse of famine is kind of an exaggeration, but if the trolls kept taking all their food and giving it to Flemmingrad, it's no wonder the people were starving by the time winter came around.”  
  
“ _We're_ the ones who are starving when it's winter,” one of the trolls piped up. “If we leave the woods, the humans will try to hurt us again. But there's hardly any food to be found in here...! No berries, no dandelions, no thistles... In this cold, there's only a bit of moss and mushrooms.”  
  
“Why don't you use your magic to shroud the woods in eternal spring?” Hans asked.  
  
Anna thought back to the Valley of the Living Rock and how comfortable it'd always been there. Hans was right; it couldn't possibly have been that nice just because of the nearby steam vents. It must've been due to some kind of troll magic, because even when Elsa's blizzard had taken over the entire kingdom, the valley had remained untouched by snow.  
  
But once again, the trolls standing before them looked confused. “We can _do_ that?” one of them asked.  
  
“Sure!” Kristoff replied, only to lose some of his nerve. “I-I mean... Pabbie and the others can. Maybe they figured out how to do it after leaving this place.”  
  
For a brief moment, the thought crossed Anna's mind that they could escort these trolls to the Valley of the Living Rock. Pabbie would surely be willing to teach them how to cast that sort of magic and then they'd have a much easier time. Still, even as she considered it, she realized they could do even _better_.  
  
“I know,” Anna said, newfound confidence and determination buzzing through her chest. “Why don't you come with us? All of you? You can leave these woods behind and reunite with the other trolls in the valley. You'll be protected there.”  
  
“Anna,” Kristoff hissed at her. Was she speaking out of line? She didn't think she was.  
  
“Don't you see? This makes perfect sense! Four hundred years ago, the trolls attempted to flee this area because the humans had turned against them, but because Flemmingrad got wedged in the pass, some were left behind. These trolls and your family, they were all meant to be one big community. And the humans here- Well, they _still_ really hate trolls, don't they? So let's do it. Let's move this entire tribe to the valley! The royal family will keep them safe and Pabbie can teach them about everything they've missed these past few centuries. A-And then the curse on these woods can be lifted too, and nobody else will turn to stone.”  
  
Kristoff looked absolutely dumbfounded. As for Hans, he looked distracted at best, as if his mind hadn't quite been following the conversation. He'd been awfully quiet, Anna realized. Was he still thinking about that kiss? Honestly. _Men_.  
  
She turned her attention to the one group she could still expect to answer her. “What do you think? Would you be willing to leave these woods and move somewhere new?” she asked the trolls.  
  
They all huddled together in one big pile for a secret discussion. It was very reminiscent of Kristoff's family, Anna knew, causing her to smile. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, nor did the rock roll very far down the mountain. When the trolls faced them again, there seemed to be only one question on their minds.  
  
“Will there be food?”  
  
“Of course! If there's not enough in the valley, we can go and get some more from the castle town!” Anna announced.  
  
Cheers. Unbridled, loud, _heartfelt_ cheers. The group of trolls stormed Anna and next thing she knew, she was being hugged by quite a few pairs of stoney arms. A few hands shook her own, others pinched her cheek. Over all the hubbub, she heard a cry of alarm and knew they must've gotten to Hans as well. Sure enough, when she managed to peer through the crowd, she saw one troll clinging to Hans's leg. Another was virtually perched on his feet, gazing intently at Olly.  
  
Kristoff, who'd already gotten so used to trolls invading his personal space, ended up holding two of them on his shoulders. “So uh... I guess we're going to have to load everyone into the back of the sled,” he deduced, already throwing an apologetic look Sven's way.  
  
How much weight a dozen rock trolls would hold, Anna didn't dare estimate. But what with the ice business, Sven had put up with worse in the past, right? Sure, the trolls could _walk_ a portion of the way, but not immediately. If the townsfolk saw them leaving the woods, there would be trouble. They'd have to wait until daytime, so that they could transport a bunch of innocent 'boulders' towards the mountains.  
  
\---------  
  
They were on their way home and Kristoff couldn't be more thankful. The town's festival had entered its second day and now, kids were playing a game called Get the Troll. One kid would be appointed as the troll and be given a five minute head start. Following that, all the others would have to go around town to hunt this poor sap down. Luckily, all the 'troll' would receive upon being found was a tap of the finger, but that didn't make it any less terrible in Kristoff's eyes.  
  
The innkeeper had attempted to convince them to stay for another night or two. Kristoff had brushed the suggestion aside with much more force than his two companions. The last thing he needed right now was to see the townsfolk light the Flemmingrad effigy on fire. Plus, they had a whole sled full of inanimate rock trolls to get to safety.  
  
Now that they were heading back up the Black Mountains, he could at last breathe easy and allow his mind to wander. So much had happened last night and he'd barely had time to let it sink in. He could've turned to stone. He could've _died_.  
  
How had Anna taken this all so lightly?  
  
It would've been just like her to explode into indignant rage. She could've easily claimed that the trolls _deserved_ to be stuck in those cold, barren woods after having cursed so many innocent humans. She could've insisted that after they'd almost killed Kristoff, she didn't want to be anywhere near them. But... She was finally learning, wasn't she? The world wasn't as easy as heroes and villains. People made mistakes and so did magical rock trolls.  
  
Would she be more willing to accept Kristoff's family in her life after this? She _must've_ , as she'd been the one to suggest that they supply the valley with more food if it was needed. She'd found the truth and she'd found a way to fix it in her own way. It was just so amazing.  
  
Something else was amazing. Something that kept tickling the back of Kristoff's mind like a soft, springy feather. Whenever he let his guard down, the memory would surface again.  
  
_They'd kissed_.  
  
And it'd been wonderful and tingly and more important than any of that, it'd saved Kristoff's life. … Well, _mostly_. True love's kiss wasn't exactly a light, casual sort of thing; it was astounding that their first kiss would have any effect at all. He'd never dared to describe the feelings he had for Anna as love, but he could no longer fool himself now. It was _real_.  
  
And then, so were Hans's feelings. That was even _more_ astounding.  
  
After five months of not daring to bring the topic up, Kristoff had begun to assume that he'd never get an answer. He figured Hans had gotten so lost in his confusion, any more thought on the matter had been foregone; dismissed as pointless. Clearly, Kristoff should've given him more credit. Either Hans _had_ given it more thought in all those months, or he'd acted on sheer impulse. If so, that impulse had been sincere, because true love's kiss didn't lie. It _couldn't_ lie.  
  
But now they were right back where they'd been a day ago. … No, it was even worse now, because Hans had barely spoken since then; not to him _or_ to Anna.  
  
Kristoff gazed out over the countryside to their right, which was growing more and more distant the further up the mountain they traveled. A deep breath, then he peered towards the left, where Anna and Hans had once again linked their arms together for warmth. Behind them, the smooth surfaces of the inanimate trolls shimmered in what little sunlight was available today. Olly was dozing in Hans's waist pack, Kristoff was pretty sure.  
  
“So uh... Are we going to talk about what happened?” he asked. The question was intended for Hans, but he realized too late he should've clarified.  
  
“Huh? Did you want to say “I told you so”?” Anna asked, frowning. Kristoff wasn't even given a chance to reply, as she babbled on without pause. “Or were you waiting for _me_ to say “I told you so”? Can we just agree that both of us were a little bit right? Because I don't really know who's to blame, anymore. The humans were just hungry and hoping to get their food back, but they could've _talked_ to the trolls instead of driving them away with force. Or maybe they were scared of Flemmingrad? It feels like both groups handled the whole thing very badly, you know?”  
  
Kristoff waved a hand at her. “No, no... That's not what I meant. -I mean, sure, we can both agree to a mutual “I told you so”, that's fair.”  
  
“Good! Then I told you so, just as you told _me_ so!”  
  
“Great!” Kristoff grinned for a few seconds, then made another attempt. “But as I was saying... Are we going to talk about, you know, the _curse_? And how it was broken?”  
  
Anna squirmed uncomfortably and released Hans's arm. Right on cue, the prince seemed to move a bit further towards the edge of the sled; further away from Kristoff. It was difficult not to take that personally, but Kristoff was willing to turn a blind eye to it. The sudden tension was so strong that he could almost taste it, after all.  
  
“We-well, I was pretty confident it would work! And it _did_! Sort of. The three of us together have enough true love to ward off _any_ curse. Isn't that a great thing to think about?” Anna mused, her attitude constantly bouncing back and forth between giddy excitement and soft embarrassment.  
  
Hans, however, wasn't quite so emotional about it. From the corner of his eye, Kristoff could see him shuffling his feet and glancing up towards the rocky mountain wall. When he spoke, it was in something of a mutter: “I don't know about that... All I wanted was to do my part in breaking the curse. I didn't expect it to work, but I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I'd never even tried. Your _life_ was at stake. I suppose, in that moment, there was nothing more important.”  
  
Anna raised a hand to hide a snicker and Kristoff found himself smiling as well. He didn't mean to laugh at a sentiment so serious, but he couldn't help himself. Was Hans really that clueless? Kristoff had thought the guy who liked to read fairytales would be the _first_ to realize why it'd made perfect sense for the kiss to work.  
  
“But Hans... That's exactly what love is,” he said.  
  
“... It is?”  
  
“It's not all dreamy expressions, shy hand-holding and tickle fights. Love means putting someone else's needs before yours whenever the situation calls for it. It means getting over your fears, your doubts, your pride... Love makes a person stronger. But I guess it can make a person reckless, too.”  
  
“Oh, absolutely,” Anna chimed in. “I would run across hot coals for you guys. Or climb a mountain, o-or enter some cursed woods. I'd even fight the biggest, baddest villain the world has ever seen.”  
  
“Please don't, though,” Kristoff told her. “You get into enough trouble as it is.”  
  
Anna laughed and pressed the back of her hand up against Kristoff's arm in a playful nudge. “No promises.”  
  
“... You're right. You're both absolutely right,” Hans ultimately said. A sideways glance told Kristoff that the prince was peering down into his own lap, where his hands were idly wringing one another. Hans seemed awfully nervous, but at least he was talking now. “I'm sorry it took me so long to realize something so obvious. I wasted so much of your time...”  
  
Anna shook her head. “What are you _apologizing_ for? You asked for more time to figure out how you feel and we agreed. And now... Now you know, right?”  
  
“Ah... Right.”  
  
Much to Kristoff's dismay, Hans still didn't sound entirely convinced. It was a difficult situation with lots of different angles to keep in mind, he supposed. Sure enough, one big problem remained. One big worry; more like a headache in Kristoff's opinion. Perhaps that was weighing Hans down as well. Simply knowing he was willing to go the distance for someone didn't exactly lay out a path for the future.  
  
“So where do we go from here?” Kristoff asked, putting those worries into words.  
  
“Well, I know how _I_ want to handle this!” Anna declared loudly. She turned in her seat to peck Hans on the cheek. “Sometimes, I'll kiss _you_. And sometimes...”  
  
The next second, she'd whirled round to brush her lips against _Kristoff's_ cheek instead. He instantly felt a blush heat up his face and tried his best to keep his eyes on the path ahead. This was everything he'd wanted for over a year now and still, somehow, it made him feel a bit queasy. Was he ever going to get used to it?  
  
“Sometimes I'll kiss _you_ ,” Anna said as she sat back in her seat again. Following that, she made the oddest gesture with both of her hands. “And then I guess sometimes, you two can kiss each other when you feel like it...?”  
  
Once again, Kristoff made sure not to glimpse towards his fellows and instead watch the road. That turned out to be something of a mistake in its own right, because Sven chose that moment to cast a very amused stare over his shoulder. That reindeer sure had some gall... Kristoff scowled at him, his shoulders hunching.  
  
“That's... entirely up to Hans,” he said awkwardly. “But I'm a little more concerned with what comes _after_ the kissing.”  
  
Anna gasped. “You mean... _That_?! I ah- I don't really know how that would- Maybe we could take turns? Or if the bed is big enough, we could-”  
  
“What? _No_!” Kristoff shouted, his face getting more red by the second. He really, _really_ needed to learn to clarify. “ _Not_ that! I meant, you know... Marriage and kids and the whole happily ever after bit.”  
  
“ _Oooohhh_...” Anna slumped in her seat, her arms sprawled out as if she'd collapsed from sheer exhaustion. “ _Geez_. Just _say_ that, then. I don't think it's anything we need to worry about right away.”  
  
“Really? Because it _kinda_ feels like we need to have a plan in mind,” Kristoff pointed out.  
  
“Elsa said that because I'm the princess, _I_ make the rules. I can decide what's right. Or, well, _we_ can decide. We don't need to worry about what anyone else says or thinks. It's not like they can stop us. What's most important is that _we're_ happy and comfortable with our lives, right?”  
  
“I guess that makes sense.”  
  
Kristoff glanced out over the land below them again. The town they'd left behind was just a speck in the distance by now. Vaguely, he wondered what those people would say if they heard an announcement like 'Princess Anna is marrying a mountain man' or 'Princess Anna has _two_ husbands'. What sorts of stories would a guy like Fridolf spin?  
  
… It really didn't matter, did it? Those people didn't need to understand, they only needed to make peace with it. They'd _have_ to make peace with it.  
  
He felt Anna's arm loop around his own and when he turned his head, he saw that she'd hooked _Hans's_ arm as well, pulling the both of them closer. “For now, I'm totally happy to just sit like this for as long as possible. Aren't you?”  
  
Kristoff couldn't stop himself from properly looking Hans's way this time. He expected to be greeted with more of that solemn gloom, or even embarrassment, but instead he saw a wide smile. It seemed like Hans's reservations were no match for Anna's cheer. Who _could_ keep worrying when faced with such a bright, positive outlook? Kristoff grinned too, tilting his head lightly to rest it against Anna's own.  
  
Not long after, they saw the looming form of a huge boulder up ahead. The 'cursed troll rock'. Kristoff had been wondering for days now whether they ought to find a way to move it. Somehow, it didn't seem quite worth it. It was nothing more than a normal rock now. It wasn't even an obstacle, as the tunnel to bypass it did its job just fine.  
  
He cast one last glance over his shoulder to be sure the trolls were still fast asleep- of course they were, what was he thinking? With that, he gently tugged at Sven's rein, diverting the sled off the set path and towards the opening in the mountain wall.  
  
So long, Flemmingrad.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	21. The Invitation

\---------

_“Some things stay the same, though the future remains unknown. May our good luck last, may our past be past. Time's moving fast, it's true.”_

\---------

Anna all but _flew_ through the halls of the castle. She'd been growing restless over the past few months. Perhaps even longer than that. Perhaps the restlessness had begun the moment the gates were first opened, now just a bit over two years ago. She was the Princess of Arendelle, she was constantly mingling with her people and somehow, it felt as if she wasn't doing her duty. She didn't know what else she could possibly be doing for the kingdom; she only knew that it felt as if something was _missing_.

But all of that was about to change, she could feel it. Kai had come to find her only moments ago, to inform her that Elsa needed to see her immediately. Elsa had _summoned_ her. It'd rarely ever happened before. Usually, whenever Elsa wanted to spend time with her, she'd simply come and find her. To be summoned like this... It was so _official_!

At last, she darted through the open doors of her sister's office. As always, Elsa looked as regal as one could get, standing near the window with her hands behind her back as she gazed out over her kingdom. Anna considered taking a step back and knocking, only to be so overcome with curiosity that she simply couldn't wait any longer.

“Elsa! You wanted to see me?” she asked with a far louder volume than she'd intended.

The question seemed to have snapped Elsa out of deep thoughts. After the initial jolt Anna had caused, there were several blinks. Then, finally, Elsa turned to face her with a smile. “Hey. I didn't expect you to get here so fast.”

“I ran,” Anna gasped, “all the way over here. Kai said that it was urgent.”

“Oh, I wouldn't say urgent...” Elsa's pleasant warmth seemed to falter, just for a second. Then she stepped away from the window, instead approaching her desk. “Arendelle has received a rather important letter. An _invitation_ , rather.”

Excitement came into being in Anna's head, spread down to her chest, seemed to skip a few parts of the route and ended up in her toes, which curled inward. Even after two years of the open gates, Arendelle's royal family hadn't been invited to any official celebrations yet. All that was about to change.

“For what?” Anna asked, the many options already rushing through her mind. An anniversary? A birthday party? Honoring a newborn, firstborn prince or princess in some far-off country? Or perhaps someone wanted to establish a new trade agreement with Arendelle after having heard so many good stories about their supplies and flexible business tactics.

“Here, why don't you read it?”

An envelope was lifted from the desk by Elsa's hand and held out. Anna didn't need to think twice; she snatched it out from Elsa's fingers and was saved the trouble of ripping it open. Going by the neat incision along the top, Elsa had used a letter opener. For a second, Anna was jealous of how perfect the cut had been. If it'd been her, half the envelope would've been torn to shreds, opener or no opener. She pulled a thick, folded card out, flipped it open and forced her eyes to skim the words.

A jumble of emotions shot through her, cascading and transforming one right after the other. At first, she was filled with delighted enthusiasm and pride at the prospect of Elsa being invited to a coronation. Then her stomach grew cold with dread, as she realized her sister would have to board a ship and go abroad, just as her parents had. She attempted to force that particular fear back down, only to suffer through a different sort of alarm. She recognized the soon-to-be-king's name and title: Prince Caleb Westergaard of the Southern Isles. That alarm turned to a restless, nervous discomfort, because it felt odd that the first thing they would hear from Hans's family after two years of silence would be an invitation to a formal event. Then, finally, she slid on into cautious optimism. Perhaps this was exactly the opportunity that both sides had been waiting for. Perhaps Hans's family hadn't known how to extend an olive branch to him before now. Perhaps they had feared that any letter sent to Arendelle would've gone unopened, but this... This was the sort of thing Elsa couldn't possibly ignore. It was the sort of event to bring them all together.

They had another chance at reconciliation. A chance to make things _right_. For the past two years, Anna had told herself that she didn't _want_ the approval of a bunch of horrible brutes. She'd told herself that anyone who could treat Hans so very badly wasn't worthy of her attention. Even so, the opportunity to make peace with the Southern Isles appeared as a lighthouse at the end of a journey through dark, treacherous water. Everyone would be so much better off if they could restore a friendly relationship with that country. And maybe those jerks would learn a lesson or two about how to treat a member of their own family. Maybe they'd end up begging Hans for his forgiveness.

“This is... This is great!” she proclaimed, looking up at Elsa again. “You'll get to _talk_ to them! You can make them understand! And if Caleb is to be the next king- well, he might be more willing to bless the engagement than his father was! We could form a proper alliance!”

But Elsa shook her head, still smiling. “You may be right about the alliance, but I won't be the one to make them understand.”

“You won't? But...?”

“I'm afraid I'm a bit too busy to leave Arendelle. That's why _you_ will be the one to attend the coronation in Arendelle's name.”

Had Anna misheard? … No, she couldn't have. Elsa had absolutely just said those words out loud. Now she could no longer control herself at all; she grabbed hold of both of her sister's hands, squealing under her breath. “You- you _mean_ it?! You're letting _me_ represent the whole kingdom?! Just like that?!”

“Of course. I don't believe there's anyone who could do a better job of it. Besides... It's about time you meet the rest of your prospective in-laws, don't you think? I'm certain you'll win them over with your charm in a matter of minutes,” Elsa said.

Anna squealed a second time, this time far louder and far longer. Her throat ached just a bit in retaliation, but she ignored it. She knew she'd never be lied to, which meant all those sentiments were sincere. She threw her arms around Elsa's shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. “You're the _best sister ever_!!!”

“I could say the same to you,” she heard Elsa murmur quietly.

Anna released her again, taking a step back as she tried to calm her speeding thoughts. “Ooh, this is going to be such a good opportunity! We'll have to bring them lots of gifts as a gesture of good will! And I'll have to see if Kristoff wants to come along for the trip- and _Hans_ \- has he received his own invitation?”

For a split second, the disgusting, sticky notion dawned on her that he _hadn't_. That the Southern Isles had only invited Elsa, as they couldn't get out of returning the gesture of her _own_ coronation, and they'd continued to act as if the youngest prince of the bunch no longer existed. If so, Anna would show them just how wrong they'd been to think that way. She'd bring Hans along as part of her escort and _then_ they'd see just who had the last laugh.

But despite Elsa's solemn demeanor, she dismissed that fantasy. “A second invitation was addressed to him, yes. I asked Kai to deliver it a while back. But Anna-”

She didn't need to hear any more. If Kai had gone to bring the invitation to Hans 'a while back', he would've received it by now. He would already be thinking about how to best handle such a difficult journey. Anna would have to go reassure him, to share the bright side of this turn of events. She'd be right by his side for all of this. He didn't need to be afraid of his family; she'd keep an eye on him at all times. And if Kristoff was willing to tag along for the ride, which Anna already knew he _was_ , _he'd_ protect Hans too.

“Thanks, Elsa!” she called. She ran from the room before another word could be said.

Considering the time of day and the day of the week, she expected to find Hans by the royal guards' chambers. He had really grown to be a part of the group over time; perhaps even enough to one day become one of their leaders. Lieutenant would be the first step, then maybe major. Maybe admiral- No, wait, that was a _navy_ title. The royal guard wouldn't have any admirals. Instead, it'd be _general_. Hans would deny such a promotion, of course. He would insist he wasn't worthy, but Anna was already dreaming of the day when Elsa would bestow the title on him and the rest of the guard would voice their approval with such conviction he'd have no choice to accept that he _was_ just that amazing.

Usually, Hans would surely be found with the royal guard, but today proved different. One of the soldiers told Anna that he had left after receiving a letter from Kai.

Anna took a detour along the castle's western wall, with its view of the Arenfjord and the port. That was Hans's favorite place to take a stroll whenever he needed to think, but he wasn't there. She stopped by the stables to find them empty; Kristoff was out for the day, visiting the trolls and enjoying the freedom of the forest. In the library, she only came across Olaf and Gerda. Over the past few months, the head maid had been teaching Olaf how to read and write. It was a slow process, but it would offer Olaf a lot of wisdom in the long run. Perhaps he'd even write his own books- wouldn't that be something?

 _Focus_ , Anna!

Zooming back into the Western wing, she headed towards the last place she could think to search. Hans's bedroom door was closed, so she knocked. Silence. She was sure this whole thing might cause her to _explode_ soon. Such big news was dangling over their heads and Hans was nowhere to be found! She rapped her knuckles against the door a few more times, then decided to put her voice to good use.

“Hans? Are you there?”

When no answer came, she knew there was nothing to lose by checking. If the room was empty, what harm could there have been in opening the door? Her hand grasped the handle and tugged it down. The room _wasn't_ empty; Hans was sitting right there on the bed. Anna was delighted for all of three seconds. Then she took in his posture, from the drooping shoulders to the bent spine, to the way his head hung low enough to hide his face. The invitation was still clutched in his right hand.

She'd expected some signs of nervousness, maybe even _dread_ at the prospect of seeing his family again. But this? This was something else entirely.

“Hans... What's wrong?” she asked, closing the door behind herself and hurrying to his side. She didn't sit down just yet, instead lowering herself into something of a crouch before the bed. “Is it because you'll have to go back to the Southern Isles for a bit? Because you know you're not staying, right? It's just a quick visit- it'll be over before you know it.”

He wouldn't meet her gaze, but now that she was so close, he couldn't hide that his eyes were red and shimmering with withheld tears. For a long moment, he didn't speak. Not until he'd put the invitation aside did he manage to scrape together enough of his voice for a battered explanation.

“My father... would never pass the crown like this. Not unless he was too sick t-to... to rule. Or unless he's...”

Hans didn't need to finish that sentence. Anna snatched up the invitation again, scanning the words with much more attention than before. The trouble was, there was no explanation as to _why_ Caleb would be crowned king. She hadn't thought it strange before, as the firstborn prince was much older than Hans and therefore _far_ above the appropriate age to rule. Still, if Hans thought his father would hold on to the crown for as long as possible, it really _could_ only mean the worst, couldn't it?

Even with all the chilling stories she'd heard about the King of the Southern Isles, she suddenly felt quite awful.

“I'm so sorry... I hadn't realized,” she said quietly. Once she'd sat herself down on the bed, she tried to pull Hans into an embrace. At first, his entire body seemed to turn to a rigid, wooden board in her hold. Several shudders later, though, he relaxed and moved his own arms around her in turn.

“I never got to... to talk to him about _us_ ,” Hans murmured against her shoulder. “I never got his blessing... A-And I know I said I didn't ne-need it, but...”

“Ssshhh... It's alright,” she whispered in turn, running her fingers through his hair. “We don't know for certain, do we? Maybe he just had a change of heart. Or maybe Caleb did something _so_ amazing to prove himself, not even your father could wait any longer with letting him take over.”

She didn't know who she was trying to convince, really. _She_ didn't quite believe it, and she could tell from the way Hans shook his head that he didn't either. How could she have been so foolish? She should've known from experience that a coronation wasn't always a reason for celebration.

\---------

“So am I really the only one who thinks this is a trap?” Kristoff asked, making sure to frown as deeply as his face would allow.

It took a moment for his question to really sink in. Anna was worlds away, it seemed, her gaze on the enormous ship that lay docked beside them. Within fifteen minutes or so, they would be leaving Arendelle. Within that very short amount of time left, they would start traversing the Southern Ocean. All they needed were a few more crates of supplies and a few more farewells. For now it was only himself, Anna and Sven who were standing by at the docks.

Finally, she turned to face Kristoff, a haze over her eyes disappearing and looking as if she'd only just noticed he was here. “... A trap?” she repeated.

“I mean, think about it!” he urged, because really, he couldn't be the only one who found this suspicious, right? “First the Southern Isles sent a few of their princes, along with a small army, to retrieve Hans. And sure, they didn't agree with the mission, but they had to try. When he said he'd sooner risk his title than go back with them, the one in charge warned us that the king wouldn't like that. We haven't heard a single peep from them for _two years_ and now, all of a sudden, there's a fancy invitation like nothing's wrong? What if it's all just some ploy to lure Hans back to the Southern Isles a-and...”

“And what?” Anna asked.

“I don't know, toss him into a dungeon?” Kristoff ultimately guessed. “Like... Maybe locking him away there would be less embarrassing to the kingdom than having him walk around Arendelle?”

The corners of Anna's lips twitched into something of a smile. A lock of hair got caught in the sea breeze and fell across her face, so she tucked it behind her ear again. “I think locking a member of the royal family away like some sort of criminal is _much_ more embarrassing than pretending he's abroad to forge ties with another kingdom.”

“Right. So maybe something else. Maybe they'll force him to stay somehow. I mean... _Come on_ ,” Kristoff insisted.

He had a really bad feeling about all this. Just because he knew for a fact the royal family of the Southern Isles were all scumbags didn't mean he was being paranoid; it just meant that he had to be _right_ about this. He looked to Sven for support and sure enough, there was a nod of the head. One so deep that Kristoff almost got hit in the face by antlers.

“ _This is suuuper fishy!_ ” Sven 'said'.

“Or _maybe_ ,” Anna said, her voice turning a rather delicate tone as she took a step closer, “with Hans's father dead, all his brothers have begun to realize that they've been unfair to him. Maybe they want to make amends. Their father would've been too prideful to allow for it, but if he's really gone... What's stopping them?”

“I... I _guess_...” Kristoff stammered. Deep down, he knew it would've been hypocritical _not_ to give Hans's brothers a chance to redeem themselves. It just didn't stop him from assuming the worst.

“And if they _do_ try something funny, well, that's why you and I will be there.” Anna placed a hand against Kristoff's arm, then squeezed it. “We'll keep Hans safe and make sure he'll return here safe and sound.”

Kristoff grinned at that notion. It went without saying that they'd protect Hans, but it was just like Anna to rub it in a bit more. The formality behind it all made Kristoff a bit uncomfortable, as he'd be joining the crew as an 'attendant'. Just another servant, much like the crew to sail the ship and the two members of the royal guard who were meant to fight for Anna's life, should it ever come to that. Not that their presence mattered; Kristoff was sure that Anna would draw her own sword before anyone else could even think to lift a finger for her safety.

The formality of it all didn't change the reality that much. The rest of the crew was only there for show and Kristoff was pretty much a member of the royal family.

“So Hans isn't bringing Sitron after all?” he asked. It was only an idle remark. His attention was on a group of three men who were attempting to hoist another crate onto the ship's deck. It must've held something heavy.

“No. Kjekk's staying home too. If it's just a quick, formal visit, there's no point in forcing them to endure a sea voyage,” Anna replied. She too was watching the crate as it rose ever higher, but she made sure to shoot a stare Kristoff's way when she tossed her own question out there. “Are you _sure_ you want to bring Sven?”

“I'm _sure_.” Kristoff was a bit irritated that he had to repeat himself like this. They'd gone over this two times already. Even so, he tried to keep as calm as possible as he explained himself. “Sven and me are a package deal. We've never been apart before. If I go, _he_ goes.”

Anna patted his arm a second time. “I know you love him, Kristoff. I'm just a little worried about him, that's all. The trip can last as long as two days, and that's just to _get_ there. He's never been on a ship before.”

“It'll be fine. Really. Sven's a grown reindeer and he'll have me there to keep him in check.”

Sure enough, Sven rubbed his nose up against Anna's shoulder and snorted loudly. It was a gesture of confidence and reassurance. “ _The ocean's not a big deal for me_ ,” 'remarked' Sven, because Kristoff was sure that was exactly what was being conveyed.

“If you say so,” Anna told Sven, petting his snout with a smile.

“ _Ahoy_ there, _not_ landlubbers!” cried another voice.

They both turned to see that Olaf was running towards them, one arm held up high in a cheerful wave. A fair distance behind him were Elsa and Hans, who were approaching at a much more leisurely pace.

“Hey there!” Anna pulled Olaf into a hug as soon as she was able. It must've lasted for a good twenty seconds and by the time it was over, Hans was within reach too. Anna quickly pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Are you all done with your preparations?” she asked him.

“... I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose,” Hans replied in a stiff, almost _hollow_ sort of way.

“Hey. Don't _worry_. This trip will be a piece of cake. With so many foreign dignitaries to be a good host to, your brothers will barely have time to look our way twice,” Anna said. Kristoff wondered vaguely whether she could say that with certainty, or whether she had no real idea what they were getting themselves into and was only bluffing.

Either way, Hans managed a wry smile. “I would hope so...”

“Now remember, Anna,” Elsa began, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder and watching her with piercing eyes. “This is your chance to win the Southern Isles over. You're not only there as Hans's partner, you're there to represent all of Arendelle, so don't-.”

Anna rolled her eyes and cut through what she must've seen as a lecture. “ _Yeah_ , yeah... I know... Don't pick any fights.”

“I was going to say that you shouldn't let your emotions cloud your judgment.” Elsa smiled and was possibly halfway into a chuckle. “But yes. Don't pick any fights. If you disagree with anything the royal family says or does, the best response would be that you will remember their transgressions.”

“I still don't see how that's a threat...”

“Reputation is very important to a kingdom, as is the possibility to ally themselves with another, should there ever be a war or some other calamity. The new King of the Southern Isles needs to understand that when in a crisis, Arendelle can either make them or _break_ them.”

Anna groaned and hung her head. “Right... Diplomacy. Got it.”

“And _you_ two,” Elsa continued, turning her attention towards Kristoff and Hans. A split second's hesitation as her eyes flickered towards Sven, then she corrected herself. “I mean, you _three_. I expect you to stay out of trouble as well, alright? Arendelle is anxiously awaiting your return, as am I.”

“And _me_! Me too!” Olaf slid himself in front of Elsa, holding up both arms. “Are you suuure I can't come with you? I'll stay on the ship the whole time, just like Sven!”

“What? Who said Sven's staying on the ship?” Kristoff was immediately offended in his friend's stead. When had _this_ been decided? The way he saw it, Sven had every right to stretch his legs once they reached the Southern Isles.

“Well, reindeer aren't exactly... common on the islands,” Hans said delicately.

“ _So_? People are coming in from all over and I'll _bet_ they'll bring stranger things than one reindeer!”

“Hmm... We'll see when we get there.”

Kristoff would've loved to argue the matter further, but the exhausted look in Hans's eyes was enough to have him drop any more objections. This trip wasn't about him or about Sven, it was about supporting Hans and leaving a good impression on the Westergaards, as far as that was possible. It was for that very same reason that Olly was being left behind. The Snowgie had accompanied Hans nearly everywhere before now. And Sitron was staying in Arendelle too.

… No, Kristoff had absolutely no right to complain, did he?

“So I _can_ come?” Olaf asked, almost _sparkling_ with hope.

Anna chuckled and crouched down to look the snowman square in the eyes. “We've been over this, Olaf. With all of us gone, Elsa is going to need your help.”

“And so is Olly,” Hans chimed in. “He needs his big brother around to keep him company.”

“Riiight...” Olaf hung his head, one of his would-be feet scuffing along the wood of the dock.

“Come here, you.” Anna pulled Olaf into a tight embrace and lifted him up from the ground. The moment she was standing up straight, Elsa threw her arms around the duo too. Olaf was already laughing under his breath, but even that didn't seem to be enough; Hans joined in on the hug as well and while his eyes were closed for a few seconds, he opened them again to shoot a look Kristoff's way. Knowing there was no way out of it and not really minding either way, Kristoff closed the distance and enveloped as much of the group as possible with his arms. To complete the picture, Sven placed his head on Anna's shoulder.

For the longest time, they just stood there like that. All things had to come to an end, though. The ship was just about ready to depart. Hans already proceeded onto the gangplank and uncharacteristic as it was for him to do so without taking Anna along, what was even stranger was that she didn't follow on her own accord. Instead, she remained standing on the docks. Chewing her bottom lip, her attention went back to her sister, as if she didn't want this farewell to end.

Elsa's voice was a bit more quiet than usual when she spoke. A bit more withheld. “Anna... Please come back safely, alright?”

Kristoff saw Anna's gaze move from Elsa to the enormous ship and back again. Then it clicked. The reason Anna had seemed so lost in thought, the reason she was exchanging timid glances with her sister, the reason she was hesitating to set foot on the gangplank even now... Her parents had left on a ship just like this one and never returned.

He threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, but kept his gaze on Elsa. “Don't worry. She's got some of the best escorts she could ask for. In less than a week, we'll be right back here, with or without the Southern Isles's approval.”

“Hah... _Yeah_ ,” Anna chimed in. She stood a bit taller now, her shoulder bumping up against Kristoff's chest. “We've faced much, _much_ worse than a bit of ocean and crummy relatives. We've _got_ this.”

“You've _got_ this!” Olaf cried, holding out a hand with its would-be fingers clenched.

Anna ducked down into a crouch. Her grin so wide it could've connected both her ears, she bumped Olaf's fist with her own. “ _Got_ this,” she said once more.

A few more hugs and waves later, Anna followed Kristoff and Sven up the gangplank. Hans, who'd still been waiting for them there, received a playful nudge of the elbow and a shake of the shoulder. Together, all four of them stepped onto the ship that would take them to the Southern Isles.

\---------

Kristoff suffered from mild seasickness. Hans hadn't been surprised in the least to discover this, as anyone who'd never been on a ship before could easily find themselves overwhelmed. If anything, he was surprised that _Anna_ was holding up so well. It was possible she refused to let it show, but so far, Kristoff was the only one who'd been seen leaning over the side of the ship. Even Sven was quite calm, considering the circumstances.

Hans himself... Well, he had other worries than seasickness or easing into his sea legs.

Staring out over the vast blue that'd surrounded them for half a day already, it was very easy for his thoughts to wander to dark, dreary corners of his mind. Had his father really died? If so, how? Had he been slain in battle or simply gotten sick? Had he been poisoned, perhaps, by one of his enemies? Had the funeral already happened? Why hadn't Hans been called back to the Southern Isles sooner? Had they known he wouldn't have made it in time for the funeral, or had they simply not cared enough to let him try?

Why was he even bothering to attend this coronation when no one wanted him there? Arendelle could've sent a dignitary far less important than Anna, allowing Hans and his loved ones to stay home.

The ship's bobbing lulled him into such a dazed state of melancholy that he didn't notice someone had come to stand by his side until she spoke up. It was Anna. “Is the sea always this calm?” she asked.

Hans spent a moment observing the ripples and minimal waves, then tore his gaze away from all that. “No, not always. Luck is on our side to have such nice, moderate weather.”

“Oh... Well, good! That's good.”

“Are you nervous?” he asked, for even with all the chaos occupying his mind, there was one thing he could never overlook. He knew what had happened to Anna's parents and he knew she had some very understandable reservations about traveling across the ocean, which had nothing to do with their destination.

“I... I don't know,” she admitted, her features taking on the mildest of cringes. “Looking at the sea like this... It's beautiful. Almost _magical_ , even. And back when I was still very young, setting sail to a different kingdom was the sort of thing I _dreamed_ of. But I just can't stop thinking about how fast everything could _change_ , you know?”

Hans could never deny that notion. Judging by the clouds, there would be clear skies for at least another few hours, but that was no guarantee of a safe journey. A storm could pick up as soon as the next day, or even on their trip back _home_. The time of year made the weather unpredictable. It truly did all come down to luck.

“You're right. Things _can_ change,” he said, a smile dawning as his gaze returned to the calm bobs of blue. “But that doesn't mean they have to change for the worse. Isn't that why we're taking this journey? To see if we can change things for the better?”

For a few seconds, there was nothing. Then Anna's arm bumped against his own. She was standing directly beside him now, her elbows resting on the smooth wooden surface of the taffrail. “We're not just going to _see_ if we can do it; we _will_ do it,” she said. “It's just a matter of getting there, first.”

“I'm sure we'll get there just fine. The question is what sort of adventures we'll have along the way.”

“Adventures?”

“Oh, you know. The usual. The ocean is full of interesting, unpredictable things. Mermaids, for example.”

Anna giggled and peered up at him. “Come on. There's no way you've ever seen a mermaid.”

“No, but there is a first time for everything,” he replied with a grin and a shrug of the shoulders. “They tend to show themselves around sunset and are attracted to music, I hear. Perhaps we should have Kristoff play his lute on deck tonight.”

“Hah! Let's try it! Is there anything else we might come across on our journey?”

There was a very particular twinkle in Anna's eye that told Hans he was on the right path. If there was one thing he could always count on, it was that her enthusiasm would drown out anything else when spurred. As it helped _him_ as well, he considered the notion that he was being selfish by changing the topic to something lighthearted. But then... They were both smiling now, so where was the harm?

“How abooout... Pirates?” he suggested, only to realize he could do better. “No, _cursed_ pirates, punished for their greed and doomed to sail until the end of time itself.”

“Oooh, that _does_ sound like an adventure! Just imagine fighting a bunch of undead, shambling buccaneers!” Anna pumped her fists, more than prepared to take on every single one of these imaginary opponents. “And maybe... _Maybe_ we'll accidentally come across the lost empire of Atlantis!”

“Hah. It truly would be lost if it's located somewhere between Arendelle and the Southern Isles. No wonder no one could find it.”

They spent a good, long while fantasizing about mythical encounters, new lands and villains to fight. Then, finally, Anna suggested they should go check on Kristoff. They headed below deck, moving past the assortment of cargo they'd brought. The apple barrel was open and Anna grabbed a particularly shiny one as they passed it. The crunch when she bit into it was so very loud, Hans could hear it even from a five foot distance. It settled the debate of whether she was seasick or not, for no one who felt ill would dare eat so carelessly.

Sven was lying in the very back of the cargo hold, where he'd been given his own little corner. He didn't appear bothered in the slightest, shooting a cheerful glance their way as they approached. It was in stark contrast with his best pal, who sat on the floor, leaning back against the side of Sven's belly. Indeed, with his eyes shut and his head lolling backwards, Kristoff looked as if he was trying to take a nap and doing a poor job of it. The minimal cringes and flinches betrayed his unease.

“Hey Kristoff. How are you feeling?” Anna asked.

While he kept his eyes shut, Kristoff responded all the same. “I'm fine,” he grumbled. A sharp bobbing motion of the ship, however, caused him to change his tune. “... Actually no, I'm not fine. I feel awful.”

“Awww... Don't worry, I'm sure your body just needs a bit of time to adjust.”

Anna took one more bite from her apple, then bent her knees and scooched towards Kristoff's side. Once she was sitting comfortably, she took hold of his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. As it was almost second nature by now, Hans settled himself down on Kristoff's other side. He took care not to lean back against Sven's antlers; that was the sort of mistake he'd only make once. His arm snuck along Kristoff's broad shoulders, cushioning the back of the man's neck.

Sitting there like that, all four of them huddled together, their destination felt surreal. Closing his eyes, Hans could smell the humble scents of wood, hay, reindeer and even Anna's apple. The salty ocean air was but a discreet afterthought down in the bowels of the ship. It felt as if they were right back in the stables in Arendelle, albeit a version of the kingdom that was in constant motion.

“We'll be okay,” Anna said, her voice cutting through the lingering tension and allowing some of it to drift into nothingness.

Kristoff hummed under his breath. Hans didn't reply at all. In less than two days, everything could very well change.

**To Be Continued**

* * *


	22. The Southern Isles

\---------  
  
_“Nice of you to join us. Did you not think your mother's birthday worthy of your presence?”  
  
“I'm sorry, Father.”  
  
“It is not me you should be apologizing to. You should apologize to your mother. She is, after all, the only one who would have even noticed that you were missing.”_  
  
\---------  
  
They'd made it in one piece.  
  
The Southern Isles looked very different from the picture Kristoff had painted inside his head. Somehow, the word 'isles' had meant palm trees and sandy beaches to him. He couldn't have been further from the truth with that assumption. There were seven islands in total and nearly every single one of them was _rock_. In some areas it was jagged, in other areas it was smooth. In some areas it was one big whole, in other areas there were clusters of smaller rock. In some areas it towered into hilltops, in other areas it seemed to dip out of sight. There was very little green to be seen, very few trees, the houses built into the hard surfaces in an attempt to avoid the harsh wind that blew.  
  
All that was nothing compared to the island which housed the royal family. Most of it consisted of castle- and what a castle it was. With its long, low walls of gleaming back rock, it gave off the appearance of a snake. Or maybe an eel, or a disgusting slimy sea monster. Kristoff knew, without even seeing the inside of it, that he preferred Arendelle's castle by a long shot.  
  
Still, despite how unappealing it looked, he couldn't wait for the ship to finish docking. His legs were wobbly, his stomach was squirming, his head was woozy... It was almost funny that Anna had worried about _Sven_ taking badly to ocean travel.  
  
The whole bay surrounding the port was full of fancy ships. Hans was pointing them out to Anna, identifying them by their flags. Kristoff heard names like Maldonia, Vakretta, Pittsford, Koto, Tikaani... None of those places sounded familiar to him. In the end, all he gathered was that with so many foreign dignitaries in town, there was no way the coronation could be part of a scheme. Calon or Caleb, or whatever his name was, really would be crowned king tomorrow.  
  
When at last the gangplank had been laid out for them, Kristoff was one of the first to stagger down it. Unfortunately, while the docks looked quite still and steady beneath his feet, they didn't _feel_ it. A groan of dismay escaped him when he realized his body would keep tricking him for a while longer.  
  
Anna and Hans had caught up to him in what felt like mere _seconds_. They were both dressed in far more official, far more formal clothing than usual. Not only that; the both of them were taking in their surroundings with a leery glance. Quite a few people were bustling along the docks, some fancier-looking than others.  
  
“Did you think there'd be some sort of welcome? Because _I_ thought there'd be some sort of welcome,” Anna was saying to Hans. “Perhaps not from one of your brothers, but a servant, maybe?”  
  
“I'm sure they're just busy. There's a lot to be done,” Hans replied, though he didn't sound entirely convinced.  
  
“Well, yes, but...” Anna broke off with a loud gasp. Before Kristoff could even process what was happening, she had leaped behind him and made herself as small as possible. “ _Don't look_ , it's the Duke of Weselton,” she hissed.  
  
Hans made a very soft, discreet and yet somehow very _frustrated_ sound. As for Kristoff, he wasn't sure where he was supposed to be looking. Who was the Duke of Weselton and what was so awful about him? How did Anna even _know_ him? Had he been a guest to Elsa's coronation, maybe? The crowd was so immense, there were quite a few people who could've been a duke.  
  
Most likely, it was the little guy with the big nose, the bushy moustache and the round glasses who was moving towards them that very second. His eyes were narrowed into a furious glare. What made the image even more astounding was that he was being flanked on either side by a pair of big, surly guys. Did he have _bodyguards_? It made sense for a leader of a foreign land, Kristoff supposed, but it still felt oddly out of place somehow.  
  
“He's coming this way,” Hans whispered.  
  
“I said _don't look_ \- maybe if we pretend we haven't seen him, he'll go away....!”  
  
No such luck. The little man stopped right before them, the heel of his boots clicking against the wood below. “Well well _well_ , if it isn't the absent Prince of the Southern Isles and the Princess of Arendelle,” he said haughtily, sticking his nose up in the air.  
  
Anna hesitated, then stepped out from behind Kristoff with a nervous chuckle. “Ahaha... Duke! I didn't... didn't _see_ you there! Hello!”  
  
“I hope you've been well,” said Hans, bowing to the duke with much more courtesy and composure than Anna had shown.  
  
Kristoff's gaze flicked to the bodyguards. Realizing that they were both shooting him a dirty look, he quickly took a step back and vowed not to say a word. As an attendant, it wasn't his place to speak and unlike his companions, he knew to hold his tongue whenever he was meant to.  
  
“ _Well_? Have I been _well_?” the duke repeated, his voice an indignant, _shrill_ sort of sound. “Oh yes! Of _course_! The Southern Isles, at least, appreciate Weselton's contribution to a trade agreement. They've been most kind, _most_ kind.”  
  
“Ahhh...” Anna shuffled her feet awkwardly.  
  
Hans wasn't so easily taken aback by what must've been a passive aggressive jab. He smiled. “I'm glad the demand left by Arendelle's withdrawal of the agreement is being met.”  
  
“Yes, well... _Hmmm_. We're getting by.” The duke, now suddenly uncomfortable, began to twirl his mustache thoughtfully.  
  
Kristoff dared to piece some of the story together. If indeed Arendelle had given up on a trade agreement with Weselton, there was no way the Southern Isles could provide all the things that place was now missing out on. What did this place even export, apart from rocks? It couldn't have been much. They would've had to contact a few more kingdoms to _really_ fill the gaps left by Arendelle. But if Weselton was still having trouble, there was no way this guy would admit it out loud. He looked like the prideful sort.  
  
The duke also seemed to realize he might've slipped up to some degree, as he hastily changed the topic. “And what of _Arendelle_ , hmmm? Have there been no more mysterious blizzards?”  
  
“No _mysterious_ blizzards, no,” Hans replied, still smiling.  
  
“That's right! Everything's been amazing these past two years,” Anna chimed in with a nod of the head. “Queen Elsa is leading the kingdom with all the wisdom of our parents before her. I have no doubt the future looks just as bright.”  
  
The Duke of Weselton made such a skeptical sound from the back of his throat, Kristoff couldn't help but be insulted as if it were directed at him personally. Anyone who thought badly of Arendelle _was_ insulting him personally, in a way. Sure enough, Anna tensed up and Hans also looked a bit jarred.  
  
“And you two?” The duke stood on tiptoe, his narrowed eyes moving between the duo. “After how confidently you'd announced your engagement, I would have expected a wedding long before now. However, no one has heard a word about that. Is there trouble in paradise, hmmm?”  
  
Kristoff would've insisted that it was none of that guy's business. Maybe that was why he wasn't suited to be in politics. Hans, who clearly had much more restraint than he did, shook his head and placed a hand on Anna's shoulder as he replied: “There's no trouble whatsoever. We merely want our wedding to be perfect. True paradise takes time to build, I'm afraid. Were you hoping to be invited when that day comes?”  
  
A very particular flinch of Anna's brow, along with a crinkle of her nose, implied that she hadn't wanted the duke to be present on her wedding day. Kristoff couldn't blame her; he felt the same way. Was Hans offering a genuine olive branch, or was he only offering hollow sentiment for the sake of maintaining a peaceful air?  
  
“Hm. Well. We'll see,” the duke mumbled. “The Queen of Arendelle wouldn't want a _treasonous_ fellow like myself to set foot in her land, now would she?”  
  
“The Queen of Arendelle would heed our wishes if we made a request like that,” Hans assured him.  
  
The Duke of Weselton looked taken aback, and while he opened his mouth, the shout that reached their ears wasn't his. It came from much further away- the road to the castle- and had been uttered by someone with a much younger voice. A voice that sounded a bit like Hans's, Kristoff realized just as he turned his head.  
  
“There he _iiis_!” the call had been.  
  
A small delegation was headed their way. Four men, dressed in pristine white uniforms, were at the head of the group. _Princes_. The few people trailing behind them were servants, most likely. The reactions this group invoked told a thousand words. Everyone in the docks leapt out of the way, bowing as they passed. Even the duke and his two guards bent their spines when the group was close enough. As for Hans, he'd taken his hand off Anna's shoulder and moved it behind his back, along with his other one. Now his jaws were grit, his lips pressed together and his gaze a bit distant. Anna seemed startled, as if she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself now that Hans has physically withdrawn from her. Kristoff wished he could step in, but knew better.  
  
The princes were all grinning widely, even looking excited, their gazes focused on Hans and no one else. Still, as they all crowded around him, Kristoff envisioned a pack of wolves cornering a timid rabbit. When they spoke, it was a torrent of noise.  
  
“The lost son returns at last!”  
  
“What took you so long, little brother? We were starting to think you weren't coming.”  
  
“Hey, _you_ started to think he wasn't coming. I told you, he's always late. That's just like him.”  
  
“Hah! Right. Some kids never grow up, I suppose.”  
  
“I'm hardly late-” Hans attempted to say, but his words fell on deaf ears. All four princes had turned their attention to Anna.  
  
“This must be the fiancée!” one of them exclaimed, taking hold of her hand and dipping into a light bow, only for a second. “What an honor to meet the young woman with the worst taste in the world!”  
  
“I... Ah...” Anna stammered.  
  
“I'm _joking_!” The prince stepped back with a toothy grin. Still, he made sure to whisper to his brothers in such a way that he intended to be overheard. “Wow, her sense of humor is just as dull as Hans's.”  
  
“Or maybe _you're_ the one with a bad sense of humor, Boris,” one of his brothers pointed out, nudging the first prince in the ribs.  
  
“Oooh, you wanna settle this right now? I'll let my fists do the talking and _then_ we'll see who has the last laugh!”  
  
Kristoff couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Not only were these men raised in a royal family, they were around thirty years old, if not even _older_. Why were they all behaving like rowdy teens? Every single one of them, despite the similar appearance, was as far from Hans as one could get. Looking towards the side, he noticed that the Duke of Weselton was retreating, his two goons in tow. It seemed he had no intention of sticking around to see how this conversation would end. If only _they_ could escape the encounter with that much ease.  
  
“Don't crowd the lady, please. The last thing she needs after two days of being stuck on a ship with Hans is to be overwhelmed by _you_ buffoons,” the biggest and possibly oldest of the princes announced. He brushed his brothers aside and took a bow before Anna as well. “My apologies, Princess. I am Prince Jurgen. This is Prince Gunther, that's Prince Fritz and the idiot who does not know his place is Prince Boris.”  
  
“Um... It's nice to meet you,” Anna replied with a curtsy of her own. A moment of silence, then she added: “The royal family of Arendelle thanks you for your invitation. Queen Elsa regrets that she couldn't be here in person, but sends her regards. We've also brought many gifts as a token of good will, as well as our gratitude. I'm sure Prince Caleb's coronation tomorrow will be a wonderful event.”  
  
Prince Gunther snickered. “It'll go without a hitch so long as the crown can fit on that big head of his.”  
  
A few more guffaws. The servants didn't dare laugh, though. Nor did Hans, Anna or anyone else. It was only the princes who were so comfortable making fun of their own brothers.  
  
“Jurgen, I have to know,” Hans cut across them. “The invitation didn't mention- ah... If Caleb is to be coronated, then... What of Father?”  
  
The amusement washed off every single face, just like that. The princes blinked and a few eyebrows were raised. Jurgen was the first to reply. “I thought Lars asked for a letter to be sent to Arendelle a few weeks ago. Fritz, weren't you going to...?”  
  
“Me?” Fritz held up both his hands, waving them a bit. “No, _Rudi_ said he'd take care of it.”  
  
“No _wonder_ it never arrived, then. I wouldn't trust Rudi to tie his own shoelaces.”  
  
“Did... Did something happen?” Hans asked, his voice quivering just a bit.  
  
Jurgen sighed and threw a glance up towards the castle, which lay a short walk behind them. “About two months ago, father became ill. But, well, you know how he is- ah, _was_. He insisted it was nothing for the longest time and kept going through his days until he collapsed. He was taken to his bed and the doctor had a look, but there wasn't much to be done. Even when he was meant to be resting, he still dragged himself through the castle halls to get work done. Six days ago, he went to bed and, well... You know. He never woke up.”  
  
“Oh... Oh, I... I had no idea,” Hans stammered.  
  
“Well, of _course_ you wouldn't, if Rudi forgot all about that blasted letter. Lars figured we should at least let you know what was going on, even though father didn't want you here.”  
  
“He... He didn't _want_ me here?”  
  
“What are you looking all surprised for?” Boris smacked a hand against Hans's shoulder, causing him to flinch. “You turned your back on the family, remember? You said you didn't _want_ to be a Westergaard anymore. What did you _think_ was going to happen?”  
  
“I-I never said that-”  
  
Unfortunately, no matter how obvious Hans's dismay was, the brothers had once again gotten wrapped up in their own little world. They were all smirking, addressing only each other.  
  
“Ooh, remember when Lars and the others returned from Arendelle with that juicy bit of news? Father was furious for _weeks_.”  
  
“Didn't he find excuses to whip some of the servants? He _did_ , right?”  
  
“I didn't think our little Hans could ever get him that riled up! It was amazing.”  
  
Hans clammed up even further. He was feeling guilty, there was no doubt about it. Ultimately, Anna was the one to raise her voice and invade the hubbub. She took a few steps closer to the princes, her shoes pounding against the docks as she went. “If you didn't want Hans here, why did you even _invite_ him?”  
  
“Calm down, Princess. _Father_ was the one who didn't want him here. That's got nothing to do with Caleb. As far as we're concerned, Hans is still a member of the family.” Jurgen shrugged his shoulders, an almost carefree smile on his face. There was something vindictive going on behind the scenes, though. His next words drew that much out into the open. “Besides... Everyone knows the Southern Isles have _thirteen_ princes. Unlike some of my brothers, our guests can actually count beyond ten, so we'd never get away with having only twelve of us present at such a grand event.”  
  
A bitter taste appeared in the back of Kristoff's mouth. This whole thing really was all for the sake of appearances, wasn't it? Hans's brothers didn't _really_ care whether he was part of the family or not. They only cared about what other people might think if he _weren't_ part of the family. What a bunch of horrible, selfish jerks.  
  
“... I should go see Mother,” Hans decided, his head hung low and his voice barely above a whisper. “Excuse me.”  
  
Gunther made a grab for Hans's arm before he could take even a single step. “No. Mother is resting. She's taken Father's death very badly and we don't want you upsetting her any further.”  
  
“Right. If she feels well enough, she'll attend the coronation tomorrow. Until then, it's better for everyone if you leave her be,” Jurgen chimed in. “For now, you have free reign of the castle. Go ahead and ask for anything you need from the servants. You are invited to attend dinner in the Great Hall tonight. You will be staying in your old room.”  
  
“Don't worry, it's still _just_ the way you left it.” Boris chuckled under his breath. There was something very ominous about that.  
  
“And just in case you get any bright ideas, Princess Anna will be staying in one of the rooms in the guest wing. We wouldn't want anything improper to happen under our watch,” Jurgen said, evidently finishing up the list of 'guidelines' in a haughty, patronizing sort of way. It didn't stop Boris and Fritz from snickering, though.  
  
Hans wrenched his arm free of Gunther's hold, his expression dismayed for the most part. Still, there was something else mingled into it, mostly radiating from his eyes. Was that anger? It didn't show for very long, as he regained his composure and attempted to stand even taller than his brothers. He spoke his next words in a very stiff, detached manner.  
  
“I understand. Our attendant will help us take our luggage into the castle, then.”  
  
Jurgen's eyes immediately shot towards Kristoff, as did those of the other brothers. It was clear they didn't think much of him, even as he tried to straighten his spine and raise his shoulders. He supposed he was lucky he wasn't wearing his usual clothes, or things would've been even worse. The outfit which had been prepared for him, which was a variation of the Arendelle castle staff uniform, helped to hide his inexperience with, well, 'attending'. If it was just a matter of carrying a few suitcases, though, this was going to be a piece of cake.  
  
“Your attendant?” Jurgen ultimately parroted. “Please, we've got more than enough servants to take care of it.”  
  
“Kristoff is our trusted right-hand man. He'll be staying with us for the duration of this visit,” Hans clarified.  
  
Both Boris and Fritz scoffed loudly. Gunther failed to suppress a grin. As for Jurgen, he shook his head, unimpressed. “Your little _servant_ is not staying in the castle, Hans. Don't be daft. Whatever bad etiquette is deemed acceptable in Arendelle, it won't be permitted here.”  
  
“Looks like you'll have to go without an extra hand to wipe your buttcheeks for you for a few days,” Boris added in a whisper that was so low, Kristoff had trouble catching it.  
  
Hans went from pale as a sheet to beet red in the span of a single second. Anna grabbed his hand, defiance written all over her face. “Thank you _very much_ , Your Highnesses,” she hissed. “You must have other guests to greet, so we'll take it from here.”  
  
While the princes were highly amused, they took the hint all the same. A few very condescending “see you around”s later, the four of them strolled away. A new ship had just pulled into port and its owners were sure to need instructions too. Several of the servants remained, though, keeping a respectful distance.  
  
Kristoff stepped up to Hans, who still looked quite shaken. One of his hands was now nothing more than a trembling fist. Kristoff considered patting his shoulder for reassurance, only to think better of himself. The princes weren't _that_ far away just yet. “Are you alright?” he asked instead.  
  
“... No,” said Hans. Mum as it was, it was the truth and that much was already appreciated.  
  
“Uuughhhhh, no matter how many times I'm warned, I still can't believe what _jerks_ your brothers are!” Anna hissed, her glare shooting daggers towards all four of them. “If anyone has the worst taste in the world, it's _them_ for not appreciating how amazing their youngest brother is.”  
  
Hans barely responded. Kristoff couldn't even begin to imagine how many things were bothering him at the moment.  
  
“I'm uh... I'm sorry about your father,” he said, and this time, he _was_ brave enough to nudge Hans's arm with his elbow. It was about the only gesture of comfort he could offer without dipping into obvious indiscretion in a public place.  
  
Anna started, as if she'd only just realized that someone from Hans's family had indeed passed away. “Oh, yes! I'm sorry. I know you didn't get along, but... It still bites that you didn't get to see him one last time.”  
  
“Hmm,” was Hans's response. He wouldn't even meet their eyes.  
  
“Your best course of action is probably to head up to the castle and get settled in. I'll help the crew unload all those 'tokens of goodwill' we brought,” Kristoff said. When Anna shot a doubtful frown his way, he shrugged. “Hey, what else are trusted right-hand men for? Go on. I'll be fine here.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Anna asked. He could tell it wasn't so much out of skepticism as it was out of _worry_. Maybe even compassion. She must not have wanted to leave him behind.  
  
“I'm sure. I'm not a castle guy anyway, remember? I'll stay in the ship with Sven and I'll be here if you need me. Nobody said _you_ have to stay in the castle the entire time, right?”  
  
For a few seconds, Anna still looked a bit forlorn. Then she eased herself into a smile. “Right. You're right. We'll come and visit you later.”  
  
\---------  
  
There was something not quite right about the Southern Isles castle, Anna could feel it in her bones. She just couldn't put her finger on the exact problem. Maybe it was several smaller problems at once. From the outside, it looked like a long, weaving slab of rock with very few windows. From the inside, it looked like a rustic cabin. The hallways were lined with wooden beams, old landscape paintings and taxidermied animals. The latter's empty eyes seemed to follow her down the corridors. Somehow, despite the warm colors all around, the place felt very cold. And _loud_ \- so very loud. The howl of the ocean wind didn't seem to stop.  
  
It was no wonder Hans hadn't wanted to return.  
  
The castle staff member carrying their luggage was the only one they encountered. The others must've been hard at work preparing for the coronation, Anna realized. So much for the 'more than enough staff' claim from Prince Jurgen. She really wished Kristoff could've come inside with them, but then, she knew why it wouldn't be allowed. Even during Elsa's coronation in Arendelle, the dignitaries had gone without their staff for most of the official proceedings. To allow everyone to bring their attendants would lead to overcrowding for certain.  
  
Maybe they could sneak him inside later- _No_. She wasn't allowed to start trouble. She had to be a responsible, respected dignitary. She had to play by the rules of the Southern Isles, just as Hans did.  
  
Anna's belongings had already been dropped off inside her guest room, but that hadn't stopped her from following Hans further into the castle. She wanted to know what Hans's old bedroom looked like and at first, there'd been no protest whatsoever. If anything, Hans had seemed almost excited to guide her there. Now, however, hesitation was beginning to show on his face. They came to a halt before a door which looked exactly the same as all its neighbors. Hans asked the staff member to leave his luggage there in the hall and dismissed her. That was a little weird. They'd already come this far, so why not have his things carried inside?  
  
“Is something wrong?” Anna asked, watching the maid's retreating back before turning her attention back to Hans.  
  
“I don't know... There's something about what Boris said... It's probably nothing, but...”  
  
Hans moved his hand towards the door, hesitated, then opened it at a crack to peek inside. If that wasn't already odd behavior, what sealed the deal was the way he hastily snapped the door shut again, whirling around to face Anna. A deep red hue was rising to his cheeks, even as the rest of his face slowly drained of color.  
  
“You- You can't go in there,” he stammered.  
  
“What? Why?” Anna made to open the door as well, but Hans blocked her by pressing his back up against the handle. What was it that Boris had said? Hans's room was just the way he'd left it? Had they done something to it to embarrass him? What a bunch of immature brats! She crossed her arms over her chest, huffing. “If your brothers made a mess of things, we'll clean it up _together_!”  
  
“No, no, that's not... Not _necessary_.” Hans's eyes shot from Anna's face down the hall, then up to the ceiling. “You, ah... You probably have more interesting things to do. How about you go and unpack? Or perhaps explore the rest of the castle?”  
  
“But Hans-”  
  
“ _Really_. This is... entirely too embarrassing. I'll take care of it, alright?”  
  
Much as Anna wanted to stay by his side, she realized this might not have been just about the state of his room. No, how could it have been? He needed space to process everything his brothers had just told him, at least for now. So she smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss against his mouth. “I'll be back to see you in an hour or so. That should be enough time for us to prepare for dinner.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan,” Hans replied with a meek grin of his own.  
  
“Good luck.”  
  
With that, Anna turned and began to make her way down the hall. 'Exploring the castle' was easier said than done; she'd hate for someone to accuse her of snooping. She supposed she'd have to go downstairs and examine the more public areas. Maybe she could even pick up a snack at the kitchen! She was getting kind of hungry.  
  
Even by one of the central stairways, there weren't many staff members to be seen. Those who _were_ around were bustling through the corridors with plates and cloths. No one paid her so much as a second glance. Once she was downstairs, in an enormous hall, Anna's gaze was drawn to the _biggest_ family portrait she'd ever seen. It took up the entire side of the curling stairway. Whoever had painted it either hadn't _wanted_ to draw the subjects smaller in order to have them all fit, or else had been _instructed_ to use the world's largest canvas.  
  
Anna had to count them all by hand to be certain, but sure enough, the king and queen were surrounded by all thirteen of their sons. The smallest one would've had to be Hans, but even as Anna squinted, she had a hard time being certain. Several of the brothers in the portrait looked just like him with their red hair and sharp faces. In fact, one of the oldest was a spitting image of Hans in present day. The only prince who truly stood out was one with spiky blond hair and pale eyebrows to match. Anna supposed he might've gotten that from his mother, for the queen held a similar shade in her locks. They'd been tied back in a bun for the portrait, which drew more attention to her round cheeks and small nose. She looked very cheerful, as if she might burst into laughter at any moment. Anna couldn't help but wonder whether that emotion was genuine. Finally, she turned her attention to the late king. While his hairstyle was very similar to Hans's, complete with sideburns, there was one very big difference: a thick moustache. The way the ends were curled upwards gave off an air of a pleasant smile at first glance, but then Anna noted the king's lips were set downward instead.  
  
How unnerving.  
  
Just as Anna was about to look away from the portrait, she heard footsteps. Turning her head, she ended up locking eyes with a young boy who stood frozen in a doorway. He couldn't have been older than five and his clothing made it clear he wasn't part of the castle staff. Hans's brothers had _kids_ , Anna realized with a start. This must've been one of his many nephews.  
  
So she smiled warmly. “Ah... Hello.”  
  
The boy blinked, then turned tail, screaming for his “momma” as he ran. His voice echoed off the walls and through the vast hall.  
  
“Wait! Come _back_!” Anna called. She broke into a sprint, hoping to catch the boy and set things straight before he could alert someone. “I'm not a dangerous stranger, I _promise_!”  
  
But the boy didn't wait. He sped down the corridor, twirled himself sideways on one foot and leapt through an open door. Seeing that as an opportunity, Anna didn't think twice about hurrying into the next room as well. She'd assumed there wouldn't be anyone else around, only to have that sentiment hammer her in the ribs and bring her to an immediate stop when she ended up facing a whole _group_ of other people.  
  
-Five, six, seven... _Eight_ women were gathered around a table in what looked to be a large sitting room. Two of them were cradling a baby in their arms, but all of them were dressed in beautiful, colorful dresses and all of them had a goblet of some sort of drink before them. _All_ of them were staring Anna's way. The little boy had run up to one of the women and was now being comforted with a hand on his head. It took Anna a few seconds to fit the pieces together, then she knew who she had come across.  
  
In-lawed princesses of the Southern Isles.  
  
“Ah,” Anna began, her voice taking on an embarrassing squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Good afternoon. I apologize, I didn't mean to barge in- O-Or scare your son... I know what it might look like, but I was only- Ah. I am Princess Anna, you see. ... Of Arendelle.”  
  
An expression of understanding had already begun to spread through the group halfway into Anna's ramblings. Even so, it wasn't until those last few words had left her mouth that the women _truly_ relaxed themselves into more pleasant composures.  
  
“You're Prince Hans's fiancée,” one of them said.  
  
“Yes,” she replied, unwilling to get into the details of why that wasn't entirely accurate. For the second time that day, she dipped into a curtsy. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”  
  
“Oh dear, there's no need to be that formal. It's just _us_ ,” another one of the princesses said.  
  
Indeed, when she straightened up again, Anna noted that all the women were smiling, some of them shaking their heads while others waved a dismissive hand. Where she had expected Hans's in-laws to be stuffy and perhaps just as mean as the men they'd married, nothing could've been further from the truth. They all seemed genuinely nice.  
  
The nearest princess moved an empty chair back in an expectant manner. “Come, have a seat. Join us.”  
  
A surge of excitement moved through Anna's body, jolting her into full awareness. This was perfect! She could get on the Southern Isles's good side by bonding with the princes's wives! That way, she wouldn't have to get near any of Hans's brothers at all and still achieve her goal of leaving a good impression. Besides, she was curious just what life was like after a royal wedding.  
  
“Thank you! I'd love to!” she said, settling herself down in the chair. All around her, there was the buzz of conversation.  
  
“Look, Adam. That's the young lady who will marry your Uncle Hans,” the mother of the young boy said.  
  
Even now, Adam still looked a little alarmed. He even stuck his tongue out at Anna once the mother had looked away. She didn't take it personally, though. Kids were just like that, sometimes. Instead, she focused her attention on all the chatter around her.  
  
“Would you like a drink?”  
  
“We have mead, apple cider and birch wine.”  
  
“I just finished the apple cider, actually.”  
  
“Goodness, making it disappear before our very eyes again?”  
  
“I _do_ recommend the birch wine, though. It was imported from Blavenia.”  
  
“Oh, no, thank you. I don't think it's a good idea to drink before dinner,” Anna said. Then she realized her mistake. “Ah! Not that I would judge _you_ for doing it! It's just- my stomach...”  
  
She'd worried for nothing. Her words clearly hadn't been taken in offense at all. Soon after, Anna was introduced to every princess present in the room. There were Princess Birgit and Princess Helga, wives to Prince Franz and Prince Lars respectively, who by now were nearing the age of thirty five. The others were significantly younger, still in their twenties. Princess Frida was the wife of Prince Jurgen, Princess Margareta was married to Prince Erhard, Princess Linnea was married to Prince Boris, Princess Eva had been chosen to marry Prince Fritz, Princess Helen was the wife of Prince Oskar... Finally, Princess Viola had married Prince Runo two years ago, around the time of Elsa's coronation.  
  
Having met several of these princes before, Anna distinctly felt sorry for some of their spouse. What made it worse was the impression that they hadn't truly _chosen_ to marry their husbands. Princess Linnea had outright said she'd agreed to the union in order to prevent a war between the Southern Isles and the kingdom of Riverland. Such a thing wasn't an agreement at all. It was closer to extortion.  
  
What had Anna's mind reeling for entirely different reasons was that Princess Helga had come from Weselton. Not only that; the duke was her _father_. She had an older brother who held far more esteem in her home land, whereas Helga, as the second born, had been used as a tool to hold a strong trade agreement with the Southern Isles. Anna understood now why the Isles were doing everything in their power to help keep Weselton afloat. Even so, Helga had let it slip that her home, as well as her father, were still having a lot of trouble. Bearing that in mind, Anna felt quite bad for the way she'd behaved herself in front of the duke earlier.  
  
But before long, the attention had moved to _her_ instead and now she had no more time to wonder about how marriage had impacted the lives of the women around her.  
  
“I think you're very brave for refusing to leave Arendelle,” Margareta was saying, her hand idly swaying the second refill of wine Anna had seen her take.  
  
“Mmh. I wish _I'd_ had the gall to stand up to Fritz and move him to my own country.” Eva rolled her eyes and smacked her lips. The baby in her arms began to fuss, one tiny arm sticking out of the bundle of cloth and tiny fingers grabbing hold of her hair.  
  
“Oh, that's not _really_ what happened...?” Anna replied, her frown no doubt matching the uncertainty of her voice. “I mean, I _do_ refuse to come and live here- no offense, but Hans feels the same way. He's got a great life in Arendelle! We _both_ do.”  
  
“Really? You didn't need to talk him into it, or persuade him with nice Arendellian titles or anything?” Helen looked positively shocked at the notion.  
  
“Oh, I understand why Prince Hans would leap at the opportunity to get out of this place,” said Birgit. “The way he was treated by his brothers was entirely out of line. He was the youngest, of course, which made him the obvious target. I'm just surprised he's the first to leave. He'll probably be the ideal husband as well, so long as he's afraid he may be sent back here.”  
  
Anna felt her face scrunch up with indignation. “He's going to be the ideal husband because he _loves_ me.”  
  
The effect of her words was instantaneous. Margareta chocked on her drink, Linnea's jaw dropped, Frida made a very comical sound of astonishment and the others all stared. “Love” must've been such a foreign word to these women that they could no longer imagine other people would experience it.  
  
“So... That's really true?” Helen leaned forward in her seat, her arm resting on the table. “I heard Oskar mention it in jest when he returned from Arendelle. He thought the claim was just a bluff.”  
  
“It was really love at first sight?” Viola asked in a timid little voice.  
  
“It was!” Anna replied with no shortage of pride. “You should've seen how flustered I was when I first met him! It was _so_ awkward! And I suppose it didn't help that this was my first time going out and meeting strangers, but he was an amazing gentleman the whole time. Um, after he apologized for hitting me with his horse, that is. But I wasn't watching where I was going, so that was absolutely _my_ fault! We spent the whole evening after Elsa's coronation just... _talking_. And laughing. And watching the stars.”  
  
“Woooow... That sounds so romantic...” Viola began to stare up towards the ceiling, a dreamy expression on her face.  
  
“Well, _I'm_ officially envious,” Margareta remarked with a scowl. “The first time I met Erhard, he shook my hand, said he was looking forward to our wedding and then I didn't see him again until the ceremony two weeks later.”  
  
Frida, who was sitting by Anna's left side, nudged her in the ribs with her elbow. She was grinning in a mischievous manner, like she was about to share a secret. As it turned out, she wanted a secret from _Anna_. “Sooo... Is he any good at, you know...”  
  
“... Kissing?” Anna guessed, blushing. “I don't know if I should-”  
  
“Oh, that's _cute_. I meant, is he any good in the sack?”  
  
All eyes were on Anna now, she could tell. Everyone was waiting for a response. Her face began to glow with heat, so she tried to hide it behind both her hands. “I-I don't... We haven't... We're waiting until after the we-wedding.”  
  
“You've been waiting for _two years_ already?!” Birgit exclaimed, horrified. “And he's sticking to it?!”  
  
“It... It wouldn't be proper to, you know, before we're married... S-So...”  
  
“Good lord. You really hit the jackpot with Hans. Oskar's in the mood every other day. It's exhausting.” Helen pinched the bridge of her nose. She did look quite worn down, Anna noted, and felt quite sorry for her.  
  
Eva, who was on her third refill of wine by now, shook her head. “You'd best be prepared for what happens once you're joined in blissful union. These Westergaard men are something else.”  
  
Right on cue, nearly every single princess in the room agreed with the sentiment, either by shrugging, bobbing their head or humming loudly. Frida managed to do all three things at the same time. Anna was sure that she would feel flustered for another hour or two as a result of this one small conversation.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	23. Kings and Queens

\---------

_“What's the matter, little brother? Did you get a boo-boo? Do you need to run to Mommy and have her kiss it and make it all better?”_

_“... I'm fine.”_

_“What's that? We can't hear you. You really should learn how to speak up. Father abhors mice, don't you, Father?”_

_“The Westergaards are lions, not mice. Hans, you should listen to your brothers. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from them if you stopped acting like you were better than them._

\---------

Hans's brothers were some of the worst people Anna had ever met. In less than a day, she'd already established that much. The dinner she'd attended last night had been incredibly uncomfortable, with the princes shooting little jabs and insults towards one another as if it were a sport. Their wives, in turn, had looked exasperated at best and frustrated at worst. That was to say nothing of the _children_ \- Hans's many nephews and nieces- who were as rowdy as could be at their own, separate table.

One thing was certain; the older children still remembered Hans and they weren't at all upset with him for leaving. They begged for his attention to the point where Hans had to leave the 'grown up table' and join them instead. “I _knew_ something was off about the seating arrangement. Looks like everyone's where they belong, now,” Oskar had said, causing at least five of the other brothers to laugh. Anna, her head raised high, had taken her chair to join Hans and the children as well.

Caleb and his wife, Sonja, had only shown themselves for about ten minutes. Hans's mother hadn't made an appearance at all.

The next day, the coronation had taken place as planned. Anna had been forced to sit in the pews. Hans had stood on the dais beside the altar, just as his brothers had. Six of them on one side, six on the other, while the _newest_ princes- Caleb's two children- stood closer to middle. Anna had resorted to squinting in order to see one more member of the family, for she'd almost _hidden_ herself behind a pillar and the shoulder of one of the princes: Hans's mother. Anna recognized her from the painting, though she looked quite a bit older now. Paler, as well. She'd stood perfectly still for the first half of the ceremony and then, at some point, she'd withdrawn from it all. Anna hadn't even seen her leave.

As for the ascending king, he was the center of attention. The crown had indeed fit Caleb's 'big head' just fine. At one point, during a moment of silence in the ceremony, Rudi had played a rather mean trick. As he'd been standing just behind Hans, it'd given him the perfect opportunity for a harsh shove. Hans had stumbled forward a few steps and while he hadn't fallen, all eyes had turned to him in silent judgment. Anna, in turn, had decided that she would trip Rudi up at the next opportunity. She wasn't meant to start fights, but it wasn't her fault if one of the princes just happened to slouch past her foot, right?

Now they were in the castle's Great Hall, the celebrations unfolding like a rather old map made of worn, sticky paper. There was a very odd tension in the air; one that seemed as if it might fall into the same category as Elsa's distant demeanor during her own coronation, yet wasn't an exact duplicate. Or maybe that was just Anna's imagination. Maybe she was misreading the stale reactions all around her. Maybe it was because so many people had to fit inside the hall. Who would've thought the Southern Isles would have this many allies? There were dignitaries from Zaria, Royaume, Neserdnia...

When at last the music began to play, people took to the dance floor just fine.

She stuck by Hans's side for now, just to be safe, watching the incredible variety of guests. An assortment of flowing gowns, fluffy skirts and jacket tails weaved to the melody. Arms were linked, shoes clicked against the floor, women were dipped... Even the princes and their wives looked surprisingly graceful. The way they moved in perfect harmony, not a single step awry, was almost enough to have Anna forget they were coarse, blunt jerks. They'd just had a lot of practice, that was all.

When Hans offered his arm to her, she rose to the challenge.

Two years of festivals, birthday parties and 'dancing just because they felt like it' had left their own mark on the synchrony between Anna and Hans. They too didn't miss a single step, or even a single movement of the arm. More important than any of that; Anna felt perfectly safe and perfectly happy in Hans's guidance. She trusted him and, unlike two years ago, she _knew_ him. That was one thing where they had other couples of the Westergaard family beat, she was certain. Oh, how she hoped the older brothers were watching with envy, but she refused to even look their way. Her eyes were on Hans's for all four songs they danced to. He met her gaze unblinkingly, even fondly.

All magical moments had to come to an end, though. When at last Anna surveyed their surroundings, her gaze didn't fall on the Southern Isles's princes, nor even the new king. Instead, she focused on the Duke of Weselton, who stood by one of the banquet tables. He wasn't dancing, nor was he even gossiping with any of the other dignitaries. A somewhat distracted expression on his face and a drink in his hand, he was separate from the rest of the party in every way.

Anna knew now what she had to do.

After squeezing Hans's shoulder to get his attention and gesturing to the side with her head, they moved off the dance floor and away from the hubbub. “I'm sorry,” she told him, “I'm going to have to switch partners for a bit. Is that alright?”

While Hans's eyebrows knitted together for a split second, he nodded all the same. “I'll go and get a drink in the meantime. Do you want anything?”

“No, thank you. Not just yet.”

She watched as Hans headed towards the most distant selection of drinks available, set up all the way in a corner of the hall. Then she turned and approached the duke. The little man blinked up at her as if expecting her to be a mirage. She was very _real_ , though, and she intended to prove it. Bowing her head and some of her spine, memories of two years ago flashed through her mind. It would be fine this time, though. She knew what to expect now.

“Would you like to dance?” she asked.

“M- _Me_?” the duke squeaked. “You want to dance with- I mean- _Of course_ any young lady would be delighted, but...”

Anna chuckled. “If I remember right, they _do_ call you the Little Dipper, don't they?”

That much certainly seemed to lift the duke's mood, as well as his confidence. He grinned, drained his drink and set the glass down on the table. Then he took the arm Anna held out to him, so that he could guide her to the dance floor. They didn't waltz, though; she suspected the duke was too self-conscious of his short stature to even _try_. Instead, he circled her and devolved into something closer to a solo quick-step.

He really was just as awful at it as two years ago.

If people were staring now, Anna absolutely didn't want to know about it. She kept her own steps as light as the tone of her voice. “I'd like you to know that I agree with what Hans said yesterday. You would be welcome to our wedding. Not only that, I may speak to my sister about renewing Weselton's trade agreement.”

The duke staggered, hopped several steps sideways and placed a quick hand against a pillar to find his balance again. When he looked up at Anna, it was with wide eyes and a somewhat askew hairpiece. “You... You would do that? _Truly_?”

“I've had two years to think about what it means for someone to act on impulse and make a mistake,” Anna replied earnestly. “It's very easy to condemn a person for doing the wrong thing, but... Nothing good can ever come from that. The better, more difficult option is to _understand_ them.”

“ _Of course_ ,” the duke piped up immediately, smoothing his hair back with both hands. “That's wise, very wise. Yes. See, I _knew_ this whole ' _treason_ ' accusation was far too strong. I only wanted to protect the people- and _my_ people.”

That excuse felt a bit too slimy in Anna's opinion. Then again, any justification the duke could give at this point would come across as a desperate act to make himself look better. She was the one who'd started this conversation, so she was the one who'd need to accept the explanation as it was given to her. If she were to put herself in the duke's shoes, wouldn't she _also_ have thought that the woman who'd set an eternal winter in motion was a villain who needed to be slayed?

“I know,” she assured him. “I'm willing to give you a second chance, but _only_ if you give Elsa a second chance as well. She's _not_ a monster- _or_ a sorceress. She's just someone who was born with a beautiful, powerful gift. One that she can use for the good of her kingdom. She was never taught how to control it, but she understands now.”

“ _Yes_ , yes! I was there, of course. When summer returned! I only... needed a bit of _time_ to let it all sink in, you know. It was all such a hectic incident.”

“Yes, it was. And I apologize if it's caused you any more trouble.”

“Nooo... Well. What's _trouble_ , really? It's all water under the bridge now.” The duke paused, then forced a haughty chuckle. “Or should I say... _ice_ under the bridge?”

Anna giggled. “I'm glad you feel that way. I'll be sure to talk to Elsa once I've returned home, then. If nothing else, the two of you can meet and have a proper discussion about what's happened.”

The duke smiled and nodded at her. Then, with a flourishing motion of the arm, dipped into something that was the oddest combination of a bow and a dance step. Once again, Anna giggled, a hand raised to her own mouth to stifle it to some degree. A hefty weight had lifted off her chest, just like that. The Duke of Weselton wasn't so bad, really. He was just misunderstood, as many people were.

But her good feeling wasn't meant to last. As she took a step back, further into the thick of the waltzing crowd, she felt her heel collide with something quite solid. Her entire weight seemed to shoot up towards her shoulders and she felt herself keel backwards. The last thing she saw before her eyes scrunched themselves shut was the duke hastily reaching for her hand, but he was too late.

She fell flat on her back and pain jolted through her body, even as her rear took most of the blow.

Vaguely, she was sure she'd heard Hans shout her name from some distant corner of the hall. That didn't matter, though. Mortified, she shot into a sitting position. Her cheeks were burning and her mind was reeling. What'd just happened?

Looking up and over her shoulder, she saw Prince Runo standing just beside her. Though he'd frozen in his own dancing steps, his hands were still on his wife and the corners of his lips were twisted into smirk. “Oops. My mistake,” he said to Anna. Even so, he made no motion to help her up, instead continuing on with the waltz as if nothing had happened. What an _insufferable jerk_!

Realizing that quite a few people were staring, Anna shook off her fury. To cause a scene would be precisely what Runo wanted her to do. She'd have to keep going as if nothing had happened as well, then.

A flat hand appeared in her field of vision, but the one who'd extended it to her wasn't Hans, or even the Duke of Weselton. It was someone who was perhaps not as welcome, but certainly not as bad as he could've been.

“Prince Lars,” Anna said, relieved that at least one of Hans's brothers would bother to help her. She'd already wondered whether she might get a chance to speak to him, as their first meeting two years ago hadn't been too unpleasant and Lars appeared to be the only brother that Hans would speak of with fondness. However, he had been quite preoccupied before now.

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her back to her feet. Her back was aching a bit, as well as her ankle, but she could still stand just fine. Another quick glimpse of her surroundings told her that Helga was standing beside the Duke of Weselton and Hans was nearby as well. She sent him a quick, reassuring smile to let him know she was alright, then turned her attention back to Lars. He was still holding onto her hand, but it was with a warm, gentle squeeze.

“I apologize for my younger brother,” the prince murmured, and Anna could tell that he meant it. “May I have this dance?”

A moment of hesitation as Anna cast one more glance towards Hans. While he still appeared a bit startled, he wasn't about to jump in-between them. In that case...

“I would be honored,” Anna said.

They assumed the appropriate waltzing stance and once the music hit a good starting point, they swooped right into the melody. Anna had danced with people other than Hans before, but there was something so very odd about going through those same motions with someone who was eerily like him. She wondered whether it was the similarity in appearance, or whether Lars had been instructed by the same teacher as his youngest brother. Regardless of which it was, she was relieved to find that she had no trouble at all matching his steps.

Now that they were on the dance floor, they were like a small, secure island amidst a sea of unrelated noise. It was an _opportunity_ , really.

“It's good to finally speak to you again after all this time,” she told him, for yesterday's dinner had been so chaotic that she hadn't managed to send even a single word his way.

“Likewise. I would have sought you out sooner, but there is always work to be done. What with the arrangements for the coronation, keeping our archives up to date and looking after our mother, this may be the first opportunity I've had to take a breather for over a week.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Anna fell silent for a moment. With how much she detested nearly all of the other Southern Isles princes, she'd forgotten that they had all lost a father. They were all dealing with grief in their own way, perhaps. She drew in a quick breath through her nose, then continued the conversation. “I was told that you wanted to keep Hans informed on his father's health.”

“And I should have known better than to delegate the task,” was Lars's immediate, almost _defeated_ response. “I suppose I ought to apologize for that as well.”

“No, not at all! It feels as if you were the only one who considered Hans's feelings, so... Thank you for that.”

“I do hope you won't think too badly of my brothers. Tensions have been rising high in our family for quite a few years, now. Not that I mean to excuse their behavior. It's simply... difficult. The castle is entirely too small for us, I believe.”

With thirteen princes, twelve of whom were starting their own families, Anna found that wasn't a surprising notion at all. The only thing off about it was that no one had acted on it. Not before Hans, anyway. “If that's true, why do you all stay here?”

Lars blinked several times, as if so overcome by the question that his body attempted to be rid of it. “Because... Because that's how it's _done_. The men of the Westergaard lineage have lived in this castle for as long as we have ruled these islands.”

“But that's just it,” Anna pointed out. “If you rule these islands, _you_ are the ones to decide how something is done. Two years ago, when Hans refused to come home with you, you said that you didn't blame him. Don't you want the same freedom for yourself? ... I apologize if I'm speaking out of line, but if this place makes you miserable, just _leave_.”

If Lars had any sort of reply to that sentiment, he didn't voice it. After almost ten seconds of silence, the song ended and the crowd around them all came to a stop. Some applauded politely, others retreated towards the banquet tables. Lars stepped away from Anna, bowed his head and was forced to push his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. “Please excuse me,” he said, and with that, he hurried off. Both Helga and the Duke of Weselton greeted him with a kind air when he joined them.

Anna was left on the dance floor by herself, but not for too long, luckily. Hans had approached her with such a swift stride that she'd barely seen him coming. “Is everything alright?” he asked.

Truthfully, she didn't know. Even so, she smiled and placed a hand on Hans's shoulder. “Everything is fine.”

\---------

The Southern Isles were the _worst_. Kristoff hadn't really gone beyond the docks these past day and a half, but the way he saw it, he didn't _need_ to. There was nothing on this island besides rock and the castle he wasn't allowed to enter, anyway. The other isles might've been nicer, but there was no way for him to get there.

It was a good thing they were leaving this place today.

It was past eight in the morning and he was sitting on a crate beside the ship, _willing_ time to pass faster. Oh, how he missed the stables in Arendelle. He'd barely gotten any sleep on the ship, just as the past few nights, but didn't want to risk sleeping out on the docks. Some joker might roll him into the water. Just because Kristoff knew how to swim, that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

Sven, who was standing close by, was watching fish flit by the docks with rapt attention. Knowing that his reindeer pal was enjoying himself was comforting, but not enough to settle his nerves. Now he was listening to the distant murmurs that were coming from neighboring vessels. There was hardly a shortage of other attendants, all of whom had been barred from the big party last night. Some of them had started their own little parties on their ships. They'd had a great view of the fireworks that'd exploded above the castle, at least. Kristoff had heard the echoes of music and even seen quite a few people step outside for fresh air or a smoke.

He wondered how the party had gone for Hans and Anna. They'd come to see him yesterday afternoon, a few hours before the actual coronation, and everything seemed to have been going well enough then. Anna had boasted about how she'd befriended Hans's in-lawed sisters, along with his nieces and nephews. If they could just get out of here without picking any fights, they'd already have a better relationship with the Southern Isles than before.

He had no idea whether any incidents had occurred during the party, though. It didn't _seem_ like it, but not every bit of trouble had to be a public spectacle.

The answer came in the form of Hans, who was strolling down the docks all by himself. He looked about as tired as Kristoff felt, though a mild smile dawned on his face when their eyes met. The first thing he did when he reached the ship was greet Sven with a lavish pat on the head. Following that, he came to a halt right before Kristoff.

“Good morning,” said Hans, running a hand through his hair and still smiling just a bit awkwardly.

“Hey. How was the coronation?” Kristoff asked.

“It was... Not as bad as it could've been, I suppose. It ah... It went ahead. Caleb is the king now.”

“So you'll have to address him as Your Majesty?”

“That's probably best, though I wouldn't know for certain. He hasn't exactly had time to spare on acknowledging my presence.”

“Well, maybe _that's_ for the best. If he won't talk to you, he can't slip in any underhanded insults, right?”

“... I suppose.”

Kristoff drew in a deep breath, then slid himself sideways to make some more room on the crate. “Here, sit down. … Is Anna still asleep?”

“Yes. She made certain to take full advantage of the party,” Hans said as he settled himself down. “I don't think I've ever seen her quite so graceful. Or tactful. She's really putting her all into this.”

“Heh... Who'd have thought? _Our_ Anna is actually getting the hang of this diplomacy thing.” Kristoff couldn't help but think back to when he'd first met her. She'd been clumsy, quick to pick a fight, quick to judge and downright naive. The Anna of two years ago would surely have caused trouble in the Southern Isles. But then... Kristoff had been a fool to worry these past few days; she'd grown far more than he'd been giving her credit for.

Hans shook his head with a wry smile. “Not quite. Diplomacy can be inherently selfish and underhanded. Anna's just very good at forging ties with people. She's handling this whole thing better than I am, that much is certain.”

“Hans... You just lost a parent. I don't think anyone would expect you to be Prince Charming right about now,” Kristoff remarked.

A very low, doubtful sound escaped from Hans's throat. Apparently, that was the best response he could give.

“Hey, have you gotten to talk to your mother yet?”

“... No. She attended most of the coronation, but left before the ceremony was over. I don't think she even looked my way once.”

“Why don't you just go to _her_?”

“I can't. Jurgen forbade it- probably on Caleb's orders.”

“To _hell_ with what your brothers say! It's not up to them. She's your _mother_. We're going to sail back to Arendelle in a few hours and who knows when we'll be back? Maybe never. Do you really want to leave things like this?”

“I... I just don't want to upset her further.”

“Listen. I'm not saying it's the same thing, but when _Bulda_ was feeling down? Seeing me helped her a lot. Most mothers would feel better when they get a visit from their kid. If you don't give her that chance, how will you know for sure? ”

And once again, Hans didn't manage more than a doubtful sound. It was very discouraging to get responses like that. Kristoff had to change to a topic that was less sensitive, fast.

“So what were your favorite places to spend time around here, anyway?” he asked. “I can't imagine the castle looks better on the inside than it does from out here.”

For a few seconds, Hans looked surprised by the question. Then he smiled. “... These docks, for one. I used to sit here for hours, just looking out over the water.”

“Yeah... That checks out.”

“Aside from that, there was only really the royal stables. I spent a lot of time with Sitron and the other horses. In fact... I'm pretty certain my brothers' horses liked me better than their actual riders.” Hans fell silent, the fond smile still lingering on his face. Then, all of a sudden, he jumped back to his feet. “Here, I'll show you. You _and_ Sven.”

“What, the horses? The stables?” Kristoff was so astounded by the offer, he felt his eyebrows raise high enough to disappear behind his bangs.

“Sure, why not?”

“Because... I'm not allowed in the castle.”

“The stables are outside the castle, on the other side of that hill.” Hans raised a hand to indicate the direction they'd need to head to. A rocky path weaved along, keeping a fair distance from the castle's outer walls.

“Oh. Well, if you're sure it's alright.”

So they began their walk. The ocean wind whipped at them as they walked, Kristoff's hair in particular becoming a frenzied mess. He wished he'd brought a hat, but it wasn't exactly part of the uniform he'd been forced to wear. Around the castle they looped, until at last the royal stables came into sight.

And what stables they were. Arendelle's own had nothing on this. There must've been twenty, perhaps even twenty five horses in sight, which was to say nothing for the ones who might've been standing inside one of the long, ornate stable buildings. There were four of those in total, settled around a big square where the horses could graze. The only downside was that there wasn't much _grass_ to be seen. Most of the horses were settling for taking bites from a bale of hay instead.

All of it was surrounded was a brick wall lined with metal spikes. Even the gate leading into the stable area had spikes on it. While it felt like overkill, the wall certainly kept the harsh gusts of wind out. Stepping through the gate was like stepping into a safe haven. There were no stable attendants around, it seemed.

Sven cooed happily and trotted over to the nearest bale of hay. Some of the horses gave him a weird look, but they did nothing to stop him. Already, those horses were more welcoming than Hans's brothers.

“This is amazing,” Kristoff said quietly, still struggling to take it all in, from the beautiful weather vane atop a stable roof to the little details carved into the wood of the stable doors.

“See, I knew you'd like it.”

At the sound of Hans's voice, a few ears twitched and heads were raised. The next moment, several horses were walking their way, all looking eager for attention. Hans chuckled and petted every single one of them above the muzzle.

“Looks like they missed you,” Kristoff pointed out cheerfully.

Unfortunately, that remark wasn't taken the way it should've, as Hans's own smile became more tight-lipped. “They'd be the only ones,” he said.

“Hans...”

“... I'm sorry. I just...” Hans heaved a deep sigh and shook his head. “I don't know why I'd expected any different. My brothers will never change. This _place_ will never change.”

Kristoff hesitated, taking in their surroundings one more time. There really _wasn't_ anyone but the horses in the stables and the wall shielded them from more distant sight. Knowing that much, he moved his arm around Hans's neck to pull him closer. “On the bright side, the horses haven't changed either.”

Hans managed a quiet chuckle. Something more genuine than Kristoff had seen these past few days. That was good enough for now.

They spent a while longer lavishing the horses with attention. Hans still remembered the names for every single one. He even pointed out two of Sitron's half-siblings, as well as his mother. While Kristoff didn't know all too much about horses, he could tell that most of them must've come from a very distinguished bloodline.

The distant chime of bells announced that it was nine o' clock. With that, Hans seemed to move right back into his more solemn demeanor. “I ought to go see if Anna's awake yet,” he announced.

“Alright, let's go back,” Kristoff replied, only to be met with a shake of the head.

“Take your time here. I'm sure Sven's enjoying himself.” Hans shot a quick, fond smile the reindeer's way. “I'll see you down by the ship when we're ready to depart.”

“Oh... Alright.”

He watched Hans leave through the gate and for a moment, he just kept _staring_ out over the rocks of the island beyond. It was no wonder Hans had continued to suffer even after moving to Arendelle. More than anything, Kristoff wanted to beat some sense into the other princes. Whether it was through his fists or through direct, blunt remarks, he couldn't decide. Maybe a bit of both. He knew he'd never be allowed to do either of those things, so he'd settle for fantasizing about it.

Finally, he strode over to Sven, who was still chewing idly on some hay. Two of the many horses followed in his wake, bumping their noses up against his shoulders. “Hey, hey... I don't have any food for you guys. But it's been really nice to meet you. I'll say hi to Sitron for you, alright?”

It was pretty clear the horses didn't understand a word he'd just said to them. Even so, they seemed bored enough to traipse off again.

He turned his full attention to Sven. “C'mon, buddy. We should be getting back to the ship, what do you say?”

“ _I_ say you're not going anywhere,” replied a voice that was distinctly _not_ Sven's.

His heart leaping right up into his throat, Kristoff whirled around to face the stable's gate. Two of the princes were standing there- hell if he knew their names- along with several soldiers of the Southern Isles's guard. Had they waited for Hans to leave before coming out of hiding, or was this just a coincidence? One thing was for certain, not a single face looked happy to see him.

\---------

 _Father's dead_.

The sentiment had been bounding through Hans's head with more raw power for the past two days- ever since it'd been confirmed by his brothers. It hammered at the inside of skull, it pulled at his ribcage, it needled at his stomach. It was like a splinter caught inside his very being.

Father was dead and even when knowing he would soon draw his last breath, he hadn't wanted Hans to come back. Not anymore.

He felt so many different, conflicting emotions, all at the same time. He was angry and he was disappointed. He was relieved and he was in mourning. He felt it was high time the old man passed away and he felt it was _too soon_. In refusing to see Hans; refusing to even send him a letter these past two years, his father had destroyed any possibility at reconciliation. Now Hans would never gain the man's respect, would never have him meet Anna, would never get a chance to make him _understand_ just how much damage he'd done. All those years he'd spent being tormented were now taken to the grave. With his father's death, Hans would never get closure.

It was infuriating and so, _so_ sad.

The past two days had moved along in the oddest haze, as if he'd lived through the moments but hadn't quite connected with them. Anna had been a spectacular representative of Arendelle, Kristoff had played his role of courteous attendant perfectly, and Hans... He really hadn't done anything aside from being physically present in this nightmare. Seeing the horses again earlier today had done nothing to lift his spirits either.

But they would be leaving soon. The crew members were already gathering up their things and preparing the ship for departure. For now, all Hans could do was watch their progress. Once they were out at sea, perhaps he could breathe easier again.

“Have you seen Kristoff and Sven?” asked Anna's voice, startling him out of his reverie. He blinked and turned to face her. The formal dress she'd been wearing for the past two days had already been foregone for her travel cloak, and her hair was tied back into a braid.

“Ah... Now that you mention it, I don't believe I have,” he said.

“That's strange. I thought they'd be here, helping the crew.”

But as it turned out, the crew hadn't seen Kristoff since that morning. Not since walking off with Hans. Already, it was suspicious that he hadn't returned from the stables after so many hours. And already, a bad feeling settled in Hans's stomach- something which had nothing to do with unfortunate mishaps. His suspicions were confirmed when a maid told them she'd seen someone matching Kristoff's description being led to the castle dungeons.

No one was ever tossed into jail by _accident_ in the Southern Isles.

Whatever happened next, he couldn't remember in detail. All he knew was that when he regained his coherency, he was striding through the dungeon hallway. The ache in his legs and his lungs indicated he must've sprinted there. Anna was hurrying along in his wake and while the guards stared, they did nothing to stop them. He knew which cell they were searching for, as there was an additional pair of guards posted just outside it. They must've been _expecting_ Hans.

Just before reaching the cell, he braced himself for what he might see. Even that wasn't quite enough to stop the unpleasant jolt which surged through his body when his eyes fell on Kristoff. Seated on a cot across from the iron bars, it became clear at once that he hadn't been taken in without a fight. There was a fresh bruise on the side of his face, just below his left eye.

Despite being something of a stranger to spiteful thoughts, Hans couldn't wait to fire whichever guard was responsible.

“ _Kristoff_!” Anna called, her voice echoing off the dark stone walls. She sounded almost desperate and the next second, her hands had grabbed the iron bars separating them.

Kristoff had already been looking their way before her cry, though. He must've heard their approaching footsteps. Now he jumped up from the cot with a tense “hey!” and seemed like he would've run straight up to the bars, had he not been hit by a realization halfway there. He froze in his tracks again- even took a step backwards, his composure faltering and immediately building itself back up into something different. “I-I mean... Your Highnesses...! I... I apologize for-”

“What _happened_?!” Anna cut across him.

But no more words left Kristoff's mouth. His eyes flickered towards Hans for the briefest of seconds, then moved down towards the grubby floor. It was painful to watch.

“Release him at once,” Hans snapped at the guards.

He had expected them to do as they were told. They'd _always_ done as they were told, even if Hans had rarely given them orders in the past. He should've realized that things had changed over the past two years. The guards exchanged uncomfortable glances, then looked towards the dungeon's entrance, where a few newcomers had appeared.

Jurgen, Adelbert, Gunther... Even Caleb had deigned himself to make an appearance. If their presence alone wasn't already bad enough, it was the sneers on their faces. Hans felt as if he was shrinking in size, his anger being beaten down by intimidation.

“Hah! Get a load of Hans, thinking he can still give orders around here,” Gunther said.

“ _You_ are no longer a prince of the Southern Isles. You gave that up two years ago, remember?” Adelbert chimed in, shrugging his shoulders. “As such, you are only here as a guest who, unfortunately and coincidentally, is related to us by blood. Your words have no more say in these isles.”

Hans swallowed thickly, for he knew that his brothers were right. Two years ago, he'd made a bold proclamation that he no longer needed his title so long as it meant he could stay with Anna and the others. He could now give the royal guard in Arendelle orders and they would listen without any hesitation, so it was foolish to believe he hadn't sacrificed anything for that privilege. The Southern Isles were no longer his jurisdiction and he would have to accept that. Even so, he felt his hands curl into tight fists.

“Leave us,” Caleb said shortly, and the guards excused themselves from the dungeon with a hasty stride.

“Why have you arrested our attendant? What are the charges against him?” Anna demanded.

“Your _attendant_ was caught trespassing in the royal stables. No doubt, he was attempting to steal some food for that reindeer you brought. Perhaps he was even hoping to sneak some of our prized stallions onto your ship just before departure.”

“Kristoff would _never_ do such a thing!” was Anna's rebuttal.

“Are you accusing us of lies, Princess? In our own kingdom?” Gunther asked in a low tone of voice.

“No! I'm only saying that you're- Well, you're _wrong_!”

Anna was out of line, Hans knew immediately. She was getting riled up and as such, she wasn't behaving in the manner that she should've. Perhaps the only reason his brothers had imprisoned Kristoff was to bait them into starting an incident. But they weren't facing his brothers, rather, they were facing the _king_ and three princes. They had to keep their composures.

“I was the one who led him to the stables,” Hans said loudly. “It's my fault he was there. I take full responsibility, so please, allow us to take him home.”

“You think something like that will absolve the crime? Your full responsibility is worthless to us. Trespassing is trespassing and anyone who breaks the law ought to suffer through consequences,” said Jurgen, his nose crinkling in a distasteful sort of way. “The only one fit to decide those consequences, be they punishment or mercy, would be our king.”

Everyone turned to Caleb with anticipation. For about a split second, Hans hoped that his oldest brother would be the lenient sort now that he was no longer caught under their father's thumb. For that one split second, he gave Caleb the benefit of the doubt, only to be betrayed. The new king's lips spread into a grin with bared teeth. A grin that ran in the family.

“Twenty whiplashes,” Caled declared.

“ _No_!” Anna cried out immediately.

“I'll take the lashes in his stead!” Hans offered without even thinking about it. He heard Anna gasp and felt her hand grabbing his arm, but that didn't deter him. All he knew was that Kristoff didn't need to suffer for his mistake. Besides, it was _him_ his brothers intended to hurt. It'd always been him.

“That's not how it works, little brother.”

“Of _course_ that's how it works! I was the one who stepped out of line and- and resorted to 'bad etiquette' by escorting Kristoff to the stables! And if I'm nothing more than a _guest_ to you, then I was trespassing as well. So... The punishment goes to me!”

“ _Hans_ ,” Anna hissed under her breath, and still, he didn't look her way. His eyes were locked with Caleb's, who glowered right back at him.

“Hmmm... He _really_ wants those whiplashes, doesn't he?” Gunther asked with a lighthearted sneer. “Almost like we'd be doing him a favor if we let him have it. What do you think?”

Jurgen scoffed loudly. “ _Shocking_ as it is to admit it, Hans has a point. If he was trespassing as well... I'd say that's twenty lashes for the _both_ of them, isn't that right, Caleb?”

“Quite right. Fetch the whip. I'll handle this myself,” said Caleb, still the spitting image of their father.

The next moment passed in the oddest momentum, like there was a fog obscuring most of Hans's senses and slowing everything down. He heard Gunther state that he was going to get Oskar, Rudi and Runo so they could watch. He saw Adelbert head for a little room and return with a leather whip. He felt Anna's fingernails dig into his upper arm. Then, finally, he saw the cell door open. He saw the fear on Kristoff's face as he was being led out into the hallway.

And something inside him snapped.

Red hot fury washed over him like nothing he'd ever felt before. He no longer just hated his brothers; it was somehow even more than that. He wasn't aware he'd broken free of Anna's hold until he noticed he was sprinting. He didn't remember signaling his vocal chords to roar, but he heard the sound come from his throat all the same. He didn't know what his true intentions were until he'd rammed himself into Caleb, the both of them falling to the ground. The softest tinkle sounded as the man's crown became dislodged from his head and now, it was rolling along the floor towards the wall. Hans paid it no mind, nor did he bother to listen to what his other brothers were yelling. Fingers of his left hand dug themselves into the fabric of Caleb's vest and his palm pushed downward, pinning the king in place. His right fist connected with hard cheekbone.

It was the most satisfying thing he'd ever done. He was going to pay the price for it; that sentiment lingered in the back of his head, but at this very moment he was blind to consequences.

He considered landing a second punch, and perhaps a third and a fourth. Caleb still appeared to be dazed; perhaps shocked that it had finally come to this. The princes of the Southern Isles had always bullied one another, but as far as Hans knew, no one had ever laid a hand on _Caleb_. The heir to the throne had been put on a pedestal right from the start, out of reach from his lowly brothers. All those years, he had been their father's favorite. The firstborn. The oldest. The _biggest_ , but not anymore. Now they were both adults and Hans was the one towering over _him_ , holding him in his rightful place: the _dirt_.

He raised his fist again and out of the dim, someone grabbed his wrist to hold it steady. It was Anna. She said something that his frenzied mind could no longer process, but he didn't need the exact words. Helpless alarm was written all over her features. _Fear_ , even.

Hesitation over his actions dawned, then washed away again when Gunther, Jurgen and Adelbert stepped closer. Where only a second ago there had been Anna's quiet tone of voice, there was now mayhem assaulting his hearing. They were trying to stop him. How hypocritical. All those years, they'd uttered their own complaints about Caleb and his ego. How _dare_ they choose his side now? Even as Jurgen made a grab for his arm to try and pull him to his feet, his own grip on Caleb's shirt intensified. He wasn't going to let go. He was deaf to the many snide remarks and threats that were uttered until, out of nowhere, something foreign cut through it all.

“Stop this, all of you!” cried out a voice Hans hadn't heard in over two years.

In an instant, the chaos silenced. The brothers all took a step back from the fray. Hans felt like someone had doused him with cold water, all his burning anger dissipating with a sad little hiss and leaving only shame. Though it pained him, he raised his head and looked towards the dungeon's doorway. There she stood, her disappointed gaze meeting his own, at long last acknowledging that he'd come home.

“... Mother.”

**To Be Continued**


	24. Home

\---------  
  
 _“I smell that salty breeze blowing through the fjord. I hear those creaky ships as old board meets old board. I breathe in the place I live and wonder what else can I give this home. My home.”_  
  
\---------  
  
A very surreal situation was beginning to unfold before Hans's very eyes. Where at first he'd been convinced his actions were justified, he now started to falter. Where at first he'd been disconnected from the confrontation, he now began to realize just what he'd done. He looked from his mother to Lars, who was standing just behind her with an expression of disbelief. Then his eyes shot down, to where Caleb was still pinned down by both Hans's weight and shove of his left hand. The king's usually tidy hair was somewhat tousled and he appeared, if anything, quite disgruntled- quite ready for _revenge_.  
  
For all of five seconds, Hans couldn't breathe. Then he hastily scampered backwards, off Caleb and into the legs of someone who'd apparently been standing behind him. He felt hands on his shoulders, not to keep him in place but to assure him he wasn't alone. It was Kristoff; he could tell.  
  
“I...”  
  
That was about all he could think to say, really. His mind had come to a screeching halt. Across from him, Jurgen extended a hand to Caleb, only for it to be slapped and hastily retracted. The fallen king refused help from anyone. He scrambled to his feet, clapping the dust off his otherwise impeccable clothes. It didn't do him all too much good, as his hair was still standing up in the back, grime caked into the locks. Gunther fought a losing battle not to smile.  
  
A brief silence, and then: “Off with his head.”  
  
The effect was instantaneous. Kristoff's fingers dug into Hans's shoulders as Anna moved to stand in front of him- to _shield_ him. Lars uttered a “come now, Caleb! Don't be absurd,” even as Gunther let out an impressed whistle, Adelbert rolled his eyes and Jurgen slapped his palm against his own forehead.  
  
And once again, it was Mother who _truly_ stepped in. She took hold of Caleb's arm with both hands, shaking her head. “I don't think so.”  
  
“He _assaulted_ the _king_!” Caleb rebuffed.  
  
“He assaulted his _brother_ ,” Lars corrected him. “And for good reason, I would assume. Now, remember what we discussed.”  
  
“ _Psh_!”  
  
While Caleb pulled himself out of Mother's hold with a harsh tug, it looked like most of the fight had gone out of him. He scoffed, crossed his arms over his chest, then finally whirled around to retrieve his crown from where it'd come to a stop. This... was good, right? Hans couldn't quite tell anymore.  
  
It was with some difficulty and a supporting hand from Kristoff that he managed to rise up from the ground as well. As he did, he became faintly aware that the knuckles of his right hand were stinging; he must've struck Caleb pretty hard. His gaze caught on the floor, he didn't realize Mother had approached him until her shoes entered his vision. Now he was _forced_ to look up at her.  
  
Just as during the coronation last night, she still looked pale and exhausted. Her hair was grayer than he remembered, too. Had she aged so much in the past two years, or had Hans simply never noticed it before? She _was_ nearing the age of sixty, he realized, and that was quite disheartening.  
  
When Hans was very young and naive, he'd always assumed that his parents had been in love. By the time he was ten, he'd accepted a _new_ truth into his life: his father and mother were putting up with each other because they _had_ to. Mother was no more than a glorified vessel to continue the Westergaard bloodline and Father must've promised her family, her _home_ , quite a bit in return. Looking at her now, he realized even _that_ mindset might've been wrong. Just as his brothers had already said, she appeared to have taken her husband's death very badly.  
  
“I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean...” he said breathlessly.  
  
But she wouldn't hear of it. She drew nearer, he scrunched his eyes shut and the next second, he'd been pulled into a tight embrace. He could almost _feel_ his brothers mocking him in silence. It didn't matter, in the end.  
  
“It's good to see you,” she whispered. He thought she must've been lying.  
  
She hadn't forgotten her place as a member of the royal family. Once she'd released Hans and turned her attention to Anna, her disposition was as courtly as could be. “I apologize that we have not spoken before now.”  
  
“O-Oh... Oh no! Please, don't worry about it,” Anna stammered back at her, flustered. “I'm just glad to see that you're up and about. Ah. I apologize if we caused a disturbance. It's just... Our attendant-”  
  
Mother waved an idle hand. “Say no more. Your attendant is freed of all charges.”  
  
“ _Mother_!” Caleb cried out, sounding more like a ten year old brat than a 40 year old monarch.  
  
“I would hope His Majesty realizes just how flimsy the charges against this man are,” Lars said. He looked quite patronizing, a shred of amusement flickering across his face. “And if the Princess of Arendelle would vouch for his integrity, it would be in our best interest to honor those words.”  
  
Hans thought that was a very odd way of phrasing... whatever sentiment Lars was hoping to get across. Did he fear this incident could lead to war with Arendelle? Surely not. The Southern Isles excelled at starting small skirmishes with other countries and yes, Arendelle was more powerful than most of those, but that didn't mean the Westergaards would ever cower. Something else was at play here.  
  
“Lars... Is there something we need to be made aware of?” he asked with a hint of caution.  
  
Lars looked to Caleb, who in turn was glancing up towards the ceiling with a sour expression. Adelbert cleared his throat. Ultimately, Jurgen was the one to beckon Hans over with a quick gesture of the hand. He seemed to be caught in discomfort, which was very uncharacteristic for him. Usually, Jurgen looked like he was on top of everything and keeping those things within their proper lines. Hans hesitated, then followed to the corner near the dungeon's doorway, where most of the group was out of earshot.  
  
“It's difficult to accept that this has escaped your notice, _Hans_ ,” Jurgen began in a frustrated hiss, “but the Southern Isles are barren hunks of rock.”  
  
“As they've been for many lifetimes already, yes,” Hans replied, now getting a bit irritated as well.  
  
Jurgen made a raspy sound from the back of his throat. “So we survive through alliances with other kingdoms who can bring us actual _food_. Why do you think we have so many arranged marriages in the first place? Father never believed we had to forge a proper bond with a place as flighty as Arendelle, but he was wrong. We've been struggling for years, and now that import from Weselton is in the decline, Lars believes that an alliance with your precious new family is the only way to keep this kingdom going.”  
  
Hans blinked. Then the oddest sensation washed over him. Something he'd usually never associated with his brothers. It was the knowledge that they _needed_ him. “So you want a trade agreement with Arendelle, but are too prideful to just _ask_?” he concluded, ensuring that he was loud enough for everyone in the dungeon to hear.  
  
Caleb was by his side in an instant, shushing him with both a sputtering sound and an odd gesture of both hands. _Lars_ , in turn, tried to pry him away. Hans distinctly heard Gunther snickering. When he looked past his brothers, he saw Anna raising a hand to her mouth. Mother was smiling wryly. Kristoff's jaw had dropped with disbelief.  
  
“... What can I say? _His Majesty_ is every bit his father's son,” Jurgen remarked quietly.  
  
“And I still stand by what Father said,” Caleb spat at them. “We don't need help from a ridiculous place like Arendelle...! Haven't you heard the stories? Sorceresses, magical creatures, a _very_ poor grasp on etiquette... They're an embarrassment.”  
  
Lars looked just about ready to slap the new king upside the head. “ _Caleb_. We've been over this.”  
  
“And I gave you my answer. I'm not going to beg Hans for his mercy after he turned his back on us. He clearly doesn't give a damn about his home or any of us.”  
  
And those words alone were enough to have Hans lose his temper all over again. It was all so hypocritical, so backwards, so _irrational_...! He glared Caleb down in such a fierce squint, it made his vision blurry. “Those are some fine words, coming from one of the people who made my life _miserable_. But you're right, I _don't_ give a damn about you. Why _should_ I? Turning my back on you is the best decision I've ever made. That you would believe I owe you anything is your most self-centered claim to date.”  
  
“ _See_?” Caleb whipped his index finger Hans's way, acting as if his point had been proven. “This is pointless. He won't budge and I refuse to give him the satisfaction of lowering myself any further than this.”  
  
Hans felt his lips curl into a mean sneer. “Oh, I think it's quite impossible for you to reach a lower point than this one. But you're in luck. You see, whether or not Arendelle forms a trade agreement with the Southern Isles is not my decision to make. It never was. You would have to ask Arendelle's dignitary, who happens to be standing right over there. Though, I do believe you intended to whip both her right-hand man and her fiancé, so I wish you good luck with winning her over.”  
  
Another hush fell over the group. Caleb once again scowled towards the wall, which meant that he was stubbornly ignoring the accusing look from Lars. Jurgen began to shake his head with exasperation. Gunther and Adelbert exchanged a twisted grin.  
  
“Oh, _Anna_?” Hans called loudly. “My brothers have something to ask of you.”  
  
Right on cue, she took a few steps towards the group, struggling to keep a straight face. Hans was sure if that this were a less diplomatic situation, she would've been outright gloating. Instead, she now came across as _teasing_ , at best. “Oooh? Let me guess, something about a trade agreement?”  
  
“Her Highness is most astute,” Lars replied with a grin of his own.  
  
“Weeell...” Anna tapped a finger against her chin. “I do believe that such a request would need to be filed by His Majesty, the king.”  
  
Were it at all possible, Caleb would've exploded. It wasn't until Jurgen nudged him in the ribs and Lars uttered a loud “ahem” that the oldest brother finally admitted defeat. He slung one arm across his chest and bowed. “The Southern Isles would be most... obliged if Arendelle were to agree to an alliance.”  
  
Anna's eyes took in the brothers standing before her, then moved on to Hans's mother. She hung her head, drew in a deep breath and finally eased herself into the most detached smile he'd ever seen. “I will ask Queen Elsa to _consider_ a trade agreement with the Southern Isles. However, I feel I ought to warn you that when doing so, I will remember your transgressions.”  
  
Caleb looked as if he'd just been punched across the face again. Even so, he didn't dare strike back in any way. Hans quite suspected that he was chewing his own tongue. Lars, Jurgen and Adelbert all looked suitably irritated with their new king. As for Gunther, he looked _impressed_ with Anna's gall. Hans felt the same way.  
  
“... That's all we can ask for,” Lars ultimately said with a shrug of the shoulders.  
  
Anna nodded her head. For now, the matter was settled, but that didn't mean the conversation was over with. She glanced around the dungeons one more time, then offered another query. “What have you done with Sven?”  
  
Jurgen's eyes swayed towards Kristoff, his eyebrows knitting together with confusion.  
  
“... The _reindeer_ ,” Anna clarified in a strained tone of voice.  
  
“Oh. _That_ beast. It raised the biggest fuss when we arrested the attendant, like it was suddenly overcome with rabies.”  
  
Gunther chuckled and nudged his older brother with his elbow. “It kicked Jurgen in the shins pretty hard, too. We all had a good laugh.”  
  
“That was _not_ funny,” Gunther hissed at him. “We locked it in the stables with the horses for now. I still fully intend to eat it, to be honest.”  
  
Kristoff made a very loud, comical sound. As for Anna, she stuck her nose up in the air. “No, I don't think so. We'll be taking the reindeer home with us as well.”  
  
“Guh. Fine.”  
  
Mother clapped Jurgen on the arm with a mild smile, then looked over her shoulder. “Lars, will you please guide the princess and her attendant out of here? And take your brothers with you. I'd like to have a moment alone with Hans.”  
  
It was good to see that the former queen still held so much sway over her sons. They all did as they were told, and while Hans's companions would have to follow, they lingered by his side a bit longer. They must've worried for him. Considering all that'd happened, Hans rather wished that this concern would be focused on Kristoff instead.  
  
“It's fine,” he told them. “I'll meet you upstairs.”  
  
Though it was with obvious reluctance, they left the dungeon all the same. Hans watched them go up the stairs beyond the doorway and disappear from sight. Still feeling like he was in trouble for laying a hand on Caleb, he knew it was time to face the music. The odd thing was, Mother didn't scold him, nor even acknowledge that it'd happened. She'd _never_ truly acknowledged the fights.  
  
“It really is good to see you home,” was the first thing she said.  
  
While Hans believed the sentiment to be sincere, he also thought it was hollow. It was entirely too easy to say such a thing now. Nothing more than a convenient way to ignore all that'd led up to this point. “Tell that to Father,” he replied shortly. “My departure made him so angry that if it were up to him, I would never have been allowed to set foot on these isles again.”  
  
Mother frowned and shook her head. “I don't believe your father was angry with you for leaving. Not entirely. He was more angry with himself for driving you away.”  
  
“He... He _was_?” Hans couldn't quite believe that. His father had never given even the slightest inkling that he'd wanted his 13th son around, and so, it came across as the same thing as wanting him _gone_.  
  
“He didn't speak those words, but I could read between the lines,” Mother said with a wry smile. “He was certain he'd failed as a father. All he'd wanted was to shape you into a strong, confident man. When you chose to defy his wishes by staying in Arendelle, he realized just how much that had backfired.”  
  
“Why would he even have wanted me to return here? What _use_ did he have for someone like me? All I did was take up precious space.”  
  
“Not quite. Your father trusted you to help raise his grandchildren.”  
  
“Hah?”  
  
“Did you not notice? Your brothers barely have time to spend with their children and they're not the best rolemodels. But _you_... Hans, you always had such a way with your nephews and nieces. Your father had hoped that you would teach them in place of the royal tutors. Etiquette lessons, horseback riding, ballroom dancing... If there was anyone who could shape them into clever, courteous adults, it would've been you.”  
  
Hans's first thought was to wonder, in outrage, why his father had never bothered to share those plans with _him_. When memories flooded in, though, he realized that those plans _had_ been shared, just never in very clear words. Before leaving for Arendelle, his father had remarked that when he returned, they would have need of him in the nursery. And whenever one of the grandchildren had barged into the king's office, Hans had been the one asked to remove them. Often, when those same grandchildren were too fussy to sleep, Hans had been called in to read them a bedtime story, or even explain the pictures in the books to them. All this time, he _had_ had a role to serve in the Southern Isles. He'd simply never seen it.  
  
But then... Would knowing about it have made a difference? Not at all, he was sure. It would've made his decision to stay in Arendelle a bit more difficult, but he would've stayed all the same. Arendelle was where his loved ones were. And hadn't he, ironically, been teaching Anna and Kristoff some of the things he would've taught his nieces and nephews? What a horrid twist of fate.  
  
“I... I had no idea,” he stammered. “But I suppose that if I had, Father would've been even more upset with me for shirking my responsibilities.”  
  
Mother chewed her bottom lip, her gaze flitting towards the wall. “He would have, but it doesn't matter. Your happiness is more important than his pride, don't you think?”  
  
“My _happiness_?” he repeated the sentiment in a loud, incredulous sort of way. He knew he shouldn't; he simply couldn't stop that small flicker of anger that still licked at his insides. Speaking of his feelings- of his _hurt_ had been taboo from the moment he'd uttered his very first word, but if he didn't confront Mother with it now, he likely never would. “If that was truly so important to you, you would've... You would've _done_ something long before now, because I haven't been happy here since... I can't even _remember_ since when.”  
  
“Your father raised you in the only way he knew how, just as he'd raised your brothers, but it was off. We all knew it was off, we simply didn't dare speak up about it. We were afraid. _I_ was afraid. I gave up on correcting him and allowed him to treat you as he saw fit, but... That was _my_ failing. I'm sorry, Hans. I should have protected you. You _and_ your brothers.”  
  
Hans didn't know how to respond to something like that, so he opted not to say anything at all.  
  
\---------  
  
The ship was finally heading out into clear blue ocean, leaving the Southern Isles behind. Kristoff would miss that place about as much as he'd miss a toothache, which was to say, he was glad to be rid of it. What a day it had been. The rocking and bobbing of the ship didn't help him any, either. There'd be more seasickness in store for him soon enough. He was in no mood to watch the isles disappear from view and instead, he stuck close to Sven below deck.  
  
To think, one of those miserable brothers had wanted to _eat_ his bestest buddy... Kristoff would've gladly taken a hundred- no, a _thousand_ more whiplashes instead.  
  
Luckily, his back was very much lashless. The worst injury he had was a bruise on his face, which wasn't anything too awful. He'd suffered far more painful blows just by hitting his elbow on a doorway or stubbing his little toe on a rock troll. No, it could've been _so_ much worse. And Sven was unharmed too; still a little frazzled, but in peak health.  
  
“Good riddance to bad rubbish, huh buddy?” Kristoff remarked, throwing a quick glance out one of the portholes.  
  
“ _I can't wait to be back in Arendelle_ ,” Sven 'chimed in'.  
  
Hans was the first to descend below deck and seek them out. They hadn't really had a chance to talk since that morning- definitely not in _private_ , and now there was a lot of tension to unload. Kristoff wanted to apologize for getting arrested, putting both Anna and Hans in a difficult position. His only job during this trip had been to stay out of trouble and he couldn't even manage that much. The apology didn't even make it to his throat, though. When Hans stood before him, it was with one of the most shameful expressions Kristoff had ever seen on him.  
  
“Hey, I...” Hans began in a strained stammer. “I'm so sorry for getting you into trouble, I-”  
  
“What are you saying? You shouldn't be apologizing.”  
  
“Of course I should! If I hadn't showed you to the stables and left you there...”  
  
“Look, your brothers were obviously out to get us right from the start. _They're_ the ones who should be apologizing,” Kristoff reasoned, and with that, he felt his own hypocrisy slap him across the face. “... So let's just agree that neither of us needs to apologize.”  
  
“If you're certain...” Hans said slowly.  
  
“Yes, I'm certain. Come here, you.”  
  
Kristoff held out his arms and after a moment of hesitation, Hans closed the distance between them to be enveloped in a hug. After so many days of being forced to act like nothing more than royalty and attendant, a gesture like this one came as a breath of fresh air. They were equals. They would trust each other with their lives. They were in love, and even if it wasn't quite the same as their love for Anna, it was love all the same. Kristoff made sure to plant a quick kiss on Hans's cheek, which earned him a pleased humming sound in return.  
  
“Hey... It was really sweet of you to offer taking the lashes in my stead,” Kristoff murmured quietly. “But please don't do that again, alright?”  
  
Hans chuckled against Kristoff's shoulder. “I will make no promises. And wouldn't you have done the same for me?”  
  
“It's precisely _because_ I would do the same for you that I don't want you to take my punishment. See how that works? But if you ever want to punch another one of your brothers for me again, I won't say a thing about it.”  
  
“Oh...”  
  
There was a firm squeeze of Kristoff's body, then Hans backed himself out of the hug again. His attention was now on Sven, and when Kristoff followed his gaze, he noticed with a start that the reindeer looked highly amused. All this time, displays of affection had been kept to a minimum around Sven. The problem wasn't that Kristoff's bestest buddy wasn't supportive of his love life, because if anything, he could be described as a fan. No, what bothered Kristoff was that Sven could occasionally reach a level of gloating that was far too high for a reindeer.  
  
Hans didn't seem bothered at all by the smug grin, though. Or maybe he couldn't read it the way Kristoff could. Whichever the case, he smiled brightly. “And it's good to see that you're doing well too, Sven. I hope you aren't still upset about earlier.”  
  
“ _I'm fiiine_ ,” Sven 'said' in a low coo, nudging his snout against Hans's arm. He received a gentle pet in turn.  
  
Kristoff shrugged. “But I wouldn't let any of your brothers near him again if I were you. He might just turn rabid and try to eat them.”  
  
“Oh, I wouldn't recommend that. Bad taste aside, they'll surely roil his stomach,” Hans remarked with a grin.  
  
Kristoff couldn't help but burst out into laughter, his amusement not dying down until he heard tapping footsteps. The both of them looked towards the stairs to discover that Anna was approaching them. The cheer on her face matched Kristoff's own perfectly.  
  
“The captain says the ocean looks great! There'll be smooth sailing all the way back to Arendelle. So... I guess that's it! Our trip to the Southern Isles is officially over. I'd say we did pretty well, aside from that one tiff.”  
  
But it was clear Hans didn't share Anna's sentiments on the matter. His brow furrowed and he shook his head. “Anna, I'm sorry for losing my temper in front of my brothers. We were meant to stay out of trouble, but I-”  
  
“What are you _talking_ about?” Anna cut across him. For about a second, she was confused. Then she moved straight into a fierce battle stance, punching the air. “You were _amazing_! You really gave Caleb what was coming to him. Oooh, I wish I could've done the same!”  
  
“But violence isn't the answer. It should never be the answer. One would think I'd learned that lesson a long time ago, but today, I lowered myself to the exact same level as my brothers.”  
  
“Hans... You were only defending yourself. And _Kristoff_ , too. It's okay to fight back when someone threatens you and your loved ones.”  
  
There was a bit of a pause as Hans glanced down at his palms, then at the reddened knuckles of his right hand. “... It didn't _feel_ like self-defense,” he said in a low, tired sort of voice.  
  
Kristoff exchanged a quick glance with Anna, who looked about as torn about the matter as he felt. It really was no wonder that the confrontation would've left Hans conflicted. Attacking Caleb had been an understandable move, but had it been the _right_ move? Could it really be justified at all? Maybe they didn't need to decide on that now. What was done was done.  
  
“I think that...” Anna trailed off, rubbed a hand against her chin, then nodded fervently. “Yes, I _definitely_ think that you feeling bad about it means you're nothing like your brothers. Because _they_ wouldn't have thought twice about it afterwards, right? If you're really bothered by something like this, that means you're a good person.”  
  
“No kidding. You're probably a better person than I am, too, because I would've kicked him in the chest if I could've gotten away with it and I wouldn't have regretted it one bit,” Kristoff admitted. With that, he slung his arm around Hans's shoulders again, giving him a gentle shake.  
  
\---------  
  
“They're home! _They're hooomeee_!”  
  
Olaf, who was leaping up and down on the pier, was quite the sight for sore eyes. After what felt like a year but wasn't even a week in actuality, they were back in Arendelle. Anna already stood on deck, waving cheerfully to everyone who'd come out to greet them. She could see Elsa, standing a short distance behind Olaf with a giddy smile... She could see a few members of the royal guard, she could see her favorite baker and her two of her favorite fruit vendors... And there was _Oaken_ , the enormous fingers of his equally-enormous hand wiggling in a youthful sort of wave. A whole bunch of children stood front and center, jeering and jumping.  
  
Anna looked to her two companions, who were flanking her. Just like her, Hans and Kristoff had relief written all over their faces. She'd already been holding onto their hands, but now was the time to give those hands a squeeze. Hans's fingers curled further into her palm and Kristoff squeezed back with so much force, it was a little painful. She chuckled quietly.  
  
When at last the ship was docked and the gangplank laid out for them, Anna rushed onto the pier. Olaf was the first to reach her, jumping up into her arms.  
  
“Annaaa! We missed you _so much_...!” he shouted, his voice reaching a high-pitched note of delight near the end of the sentence. “I'm not going to say who missed you _most_ , but I _will_ say Elsa and me are tied for first place.”  
  
Anna giggled, swinging Olaf around playfully. It wasn't until she felt the cold of his snow invading her clothes that she set him down again. “Did you gather everyone here to welcome us?”  
  
“Oh, nooo... I don't think _anybody_ did,” Olaf said. “See, Elsa was the first to spot your ship _aaall_ the way on the horizon. So she came to find me and we rushed out the castle, and Kai and Ingrid and a few more people came out with us. But we were beaten to the docks by a couple of the fishermen, and the _baaaker_ , and Eeerik, and Mr. Jorn who owns the libraryyy... And then _Oaken_ showed up-”  
  
“Yoohoo!” called Oaken from somewhere in the back of the crowd.  
  
“ _Yoohoo_!” Olaf called to him. Then he turned his attention back to Anna, continuing his retelling of the events with a thoughtful frown. “And then we were joined by Marten and his kids, who saw the ship from their window, and-”  
  
“I get it. You all came out here just because you wanted to welcome us home,” Anna cut across him with a smile. It was such a delightful, heartwarming concept that it stirred a tingle deep inside her chest.  
  
She heard a frantic squeaking and looked to the side to see Olly waddling past her at full speed. Hans, who'd crouched down a short distance behind her, was already awaiting the Snowgie with both hands held out flat. Not even three seconds later, Olly was being cradled to Hans's cheek. “Aww, did you miss me, lil' buddy?” she heard him ask.  
  
On her other side, she caught a glimpse of everyone's favorite fruit and veggie vendor slipping Sven a carrot under Kristoff's watchful eye. But more and more people were trying to catch Anna's attention, from the little children swarming around her legs to the adults with their respectful dips of the heads. These were her people.  
  
… No, they were _their_ people.  
  
Quite a bit of time had passed before Anna finally succeeded in reaching Elsa, who had stayed just outside the crowd and waited with her usual serene patience. A person less familiar with the Queen of Arendelle might think that she was very composed at the moment. Anna knew better, though. From the look in Elsa's eyes to the small, snowflake-like twinkles in her hair, everything about her radiated ecstatic relief.  
  
“Welcome home,” Elsa said. After a bit of hesitation, Anna was pulled into a loose embrace.  
  
“It's good to be back!”  
  
“How was it? Did you manage to leave a good impression on the Southern Isles?”  
  
Anna backed herself out of the hug and looked over her shoulder, just for a brief moment. Hans was still talking to a few of his companions from the royal guard and Kristoff was trying to stop Sven from snatching an apple out of a nearby crate. She briefly considered hiding the truth, but then, what would've been the point?  
  
“ _Weeell_... We certainly left an impression,” she said. “Not necessarily a bad one! It's ah... It's complicated. We've got a lot to talk about.”  
  
Not just about decking King Caleb, but about a possible trade agreement. More important than any of that, Anna felt, was that she had to convince Elsa to give Weselton a second chance. As far as she was concerned, the Southern Isles could wait as long as was needed before Arendelle would form any sort of alliance with them. The Duke of Weselton and his people, on the other hand, needed Elsa's mercy as soon as possible.  
  
A nod of the head, then Elsa began to lead the way to the castle. Anna made to follow, but not before drawing in a deep breath, filling her nose with that familiar fresh, rustic, salty air of _home_.  
  
  
 **To Be Continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay that came with this chapter! I had some stuff happening to distract me from writing. With that, I'll also apologize in advance that there'll be an even longer hiatus until next chapter. I need to take some time to figure out just what I still want to address before tackling Frozen 2. I do still have some ideas for another chapter or two, but I want to really tap into the full potential of the story before Frozen 2, well, ends it all.


	25. The Royal Legacy

_\---------_

_“Mother, you were everyone's queen, I watched you closely and you taught me well. How do I be you? How do I be good? How do I be me in Arendelle? How do I go in this land with a power inside that I can't command? It's growing and speaking a language that I don't understand.”_

\---------

Spring was taking over the land of Arendelle once again. With it, the air was slowly easing itself out of the nipping cold and into more pleasant temperatures. It was amazing how fast time could fly, Hans thought to himself. In only three more months, they would reach the third anniversary of Elsa's coronation. It would also be the third anniversary of Hans first setting foot in Arendelle, and the beginning of his new life.

He remembered how daunting he found Elsa's presence when he was still settling in. How eager he was to earn her respect and have her accept him as part of the family. It was a silly fear now, really. While regal and distant at first glance, Elsa was actually a very warm, very caring and occasionally even _frivolous_ person. She kept her guard up more whenever she was in the public's eye, Hans noted, and he could relate.

When he was asked to accompany Elsa on a trip to North Mountain as her personal guard, he'd been flattered. Excited, even. He hadn't thought to question why he was the only one selected to go with her. Now, as they were making their way up the sloping paths towards the peak, he _did_ begin to entertain some idle wonder. He knew Elsa could take care of herself if there was trouble; she was likely a stronger force than the entire royal guard combined. But then, why ask Hans to come along at all? Was it just a pretense of _having_ a guard, so that no one would worry?

Well, at least they weren't _quite_ alone. Olly was settled in Hans's waist pack, his little eyes peering out over the view in quiet awe. The little guy had never gone this high up the mountains before. As for Sitron, his hooves sank rather deeply into the crisp snow. The delay in his steps had Hans wonder whether he was having trouble traversing this particular terrain. But then, the conditions had been so much worse during the blizzard incident. Elsa's own horse was moving along with relative ease, as well.

He drew his scarf a bit closer to his mouth, his gaze moving from the majestic ice palace in the distance to the queen by his side. She seemed lost in thought, her blue eyes narrowed. Hans often found himself wondering what was going through her head. Elsa was difficult to read, especially when she was struggling with personal matters. _Conceal_ , or so she'd been taught. The prospect of disrupting her made him feel bad, which was why he hadn't spoken up before now. He would have to raise the question sooner or later, though.

“If you don't mind my asking,” he began, snapping Elsa back to reality with only a few words. “Are we only headed to the palace to check up on the Snowgies, or is there another reason?”

Elsa bit her bottom lip, still looking towards the sparkling structure in question. “Well... There _is_ one other reason. It's about Olly and his permafrost.”

Hans blinked. Permafrost was what they'd dubbed Olly's inability to melt, even when he was close to the warmest of sources. It was a stark contrast to Olaf, who was in need of the support from his flurry cloud as soon as the temperatures went above the point of freezing. Elsa had been experimenting with the notion of strengthening Olaf for a while now, but to this day she still hadn't figured out how to pinpoint the difference between Olly and him. It was sad, really, because Olaf deserved all the freedom that his little brother had and at times, he even seemed envious.

“I just don't understand it,” Elsa continued. “I have all these amazing powers, but it feels as if I've barely even grasped the surface of what I can do. Perhaps something is holding me back from seeing the full picture, or perhaps... Perhaps there is some sort of truth I need to find. An _answer_ to questions I didn't even know I had.” There was a brief pause, then a quiet chuckle. “... If that makes sense,” she finished in a light tone of voice.

“You believe the other Snowgies might hold the answer you seek?” Hans asked, because as far as he knew, all of Olly's siblings had also refused to melt during Anna's birthday party. But then, if they were exactly the same, what would be the point of examining them?

Not that he was opposed to the notion; he couldn't wait to meet the other Snowgies. They'd all been led out of Arendelle while he was recovering from a fever, and so, he had no idea what they were like. Were they all just as cute as Olly? There was no way. He wouldn't be able to take something like that. And if the other Snowgies were just as rowdy as Olly was, which Anna and Kristoff had already implied, Hans found it to be a miracle that Elsa's old palace was still standing at all.

But then... Olly had never met any of his siblings either. Would they know him? Would they be nice to him? What if they would bully him for being the only one to live in Arendelle? Hans would have to keep an eye on him the entire time, just to be on the safe side.

“It's not just the Snowgies,” Elsa replied. “Olaf was the very first living snow creature I created and it was just on a whim. I didn't even know just _what_ my powers had done until Anna introduced him to me. It's the same with the Snowgies. I created them by accident. However... They're not the _only_ creatures I made. I built Marshmallow on purpose. He may be more developed, but as he's never left the North Mountain, I don't know how he reacts to warmth. If he has permafrost as well, perhaps _he's_ the key to duplicating it.”

For a few seconds, Hans didn't quite know what Elsa was talking about. Then a sudden feeling of dread settled in his stomach. “... And _Marshmallow_ is...?” he asked quietly, though he could already guess the answer.

Elsa looked his way, a single eyebrow raised. “Well, he wasn't named Marshmallow, originally. But that's what Olaf called him and it sort of stuck. I'm certain you've met him before. He's the big snow golem who guards my palace.”

A flurry of bad memories assaulted Hans. Thanks to the trolls' meddling, the trip to the Northern Mountain in search of Arendelle's missing princess was blurrier than it ought to have been, with the later portions outright _erased_ from his mind. Even so, he remembered going up to the palace and telling the others that no harm was to come to the queen. He remembered a big mound of snow coming to life, showing off huge jaws, huge hands and even more impressive spikes all over its body. He remembered jumping to the side to avoid the swipe of an icy claw, then rolling to avoid being crushed beneath a gigantic foot. He also remembered wondering, with horrific fear and worry, whether this monster was the reason Anna hadn't returned to Arendelle. He'd used his sword to slice off one of the creature's legs and made a beeline for the palace, but the beast had tried to take him down with it and knocked him off the steps. He remembered dangling from the stairway with one hand, a terrifying abyss below him as the monster's roar grew ever more distant.

He'd almost _died_.

He pulled at Sitron's reins quite abruptly, earning him an indignant huff from the horse in question. There was no helping it, though; the realization flooded through him, numbing every muscle in his body. Elsa, whose horse overtook his own, turned round once she realized he was no longer following.

“Ah... I apologize for that, by the way,” she said awkwardly. “I thought it'd be best for everyone if they were to stay far away from me, but Anna was so insistent on getting close that I... Well, I wasn't thinking. Marshmallow only wanted to protect me because that's what I asked of him.”

“But he... Isn't he... _Gone_?” Hans's voice trembled just a bit, he noticed with a surge of embarrassment.

“Gone? What do you mean?”

“He... He fell off a cliff.”

“What? When was this?”

“When we came to your palace to find Anna. He... He tried to stop us from coming in, so we fought him and he fell. Didn't you ever wonder why the stairway's banister is broken?”

Elsa frowned, glanced towards the palace up ahead, then back to Hans. “... I had no idea things escalated that badly, I'm sorry. But don't worry, that fall didn't harm him. He's been looking after the palace all this time. And the Snowgies, as well. He's just a big sweetheart, really.”

A fond smile, then Elsa looked as if she was ready to continue their journey. A tug of the reins and a swerve of her horse's head sure confirmed it. Hans wouldn't let the topic slide quite that easily, though. He pressed his heels into Sitron's body, giving the cue for him to catch up to Elsa.

“Ah, don't you think he might still be a bit... _sore_ about what happened?” Hans asked the moment he was close enough.

“It's been almost three years since then,” Elsa replied calmly. “And things have changed. I returned to Arendelle because I wanted to; Marshmallow knows that.”

“Oh...”

“Don't worry about it, alright? If he gives you a hard time, I'll tell him to stop. He'll listen to me.”

Hans hummed quietly under his breath. He had no reason to question her judgment on the matter. He didn't even really know Marshmallow beyond that one confrontation. If Elsa believed he was an obedient sweetheart, that would have to be the truth. She was the one who'd made him, after all.

He kept hope up until they made it to the palace's steps. Then he saw the depth of the cliff below, along with the gap in the banister, and doubt once again found a place to settle. The horses were left within an icy fence of Elsa's creation, giving them enough space to stretch their legs as they recovered from the long journey. Hans made sure to slip Sitron an extra carrot for his trouble.

They made their way up the stairway, but the door opened before they'd even reached it. Somehow, the golem looked even bigger than Hans remembered it being; or maybe that was because he was standing a few steps below him. Either way, he swallowed thickly. Marshmallow paid him no mind at first, instead uttering a delighted roar that sounded an awful lot like “Eeelsaaa!”

“Hello Marshmallow. It's been a long while, hasn't it? I'm sorry that I haven't come to visit you sooner,” said Elsa. Her smile was so warm and genuine, it only confirmed that she was right at home here.

“Come iiin!” Marshmallow stepped aside, opening the way into the palace's main hall. Several Snowgies were already visible beyond him, their heads poking up out of nooks and crannies to cast a curious gaze their way. They really were just as cute as Olly...!

Elsa dipped her head and began to walk forward. Hans made to follow, only to have the door shut in his face by an enormous claw. If he'd recoiled any later, it might've broken his nose.

“Ah, hold on,” he heard Elsa say, her voice muffled by the thick layer of ice. “He's with me. Open the door, please.”

A moment's pause, then Marshmallow did as he was told. Hans felt himself wither under a scrutinizing stare from the creature's hollow eyes. Desperate to break that lock, Hans's own gaze flitted further upwards and focused on the top of Marshmallow's head. ...Was that Elsa's old crown?

“Marshmallow, I'm sure you remember Anna's fiancé, Prince Hans,” Elsa said, breaking the silence.

“Ah. Um. It's good to... formally meet you...?” Hans couldn't quite keep the factor of hesitation from the statement and with that, he knew he had to try harder. “I... I apologize for, ah, the last time I was here. I know that must not have been the best first impression, but it was all just a misunderstanding. I do hope you'll give me another chance.”

Marshmallow said nothing.

“... I see you found a way to reattach your leg. That's great,” Hans continued, this time forcing a bit of a smile.

In hindsight, he came to regret that remark. Where at first Marshmallow might not have connected any dots, Hans had basically just handed him more reason to be suspicious on a silver platter. An icy brow furrowed and an enormous hand went to the sheathed sword by Hans's hip. While Marshmallow's tug was strong, the belt proved to be stronger and so, it led to a very unfortunate jerking motion of Hans's body.

“Whoah! No, no, no! Stop! I need that!” he cried out, alarmed.

“ _Why_?” Marshmallow demanded in a low, suspicious growl.

“I need it to protect Elsa!” Hans replied, and while most of the sentiment was earnest, he did also consider he might need it to protect _himself_. Such a thing was better left unvoiced.

Unfortunately, even the words he _had_ uttered had rubbed Marshmallow the wrong way. There was another sharp tug at Hans's sword. “ _I_ protect Elsa,” the golem insisted.

Swallowing any further comebacks, Hans decided to shoot a pointed look the queen's way; a plea for her to help him. It was a sentiment that must've been shared by Marshmallow, as the _both_ of them were now staring Elsa's way.

“Ah... Well...” she began, her eyes darting back and forth between him and the golem. It was only then that he realized they'd just put her in a difficult position. Ultimately, her decision was clear. “We're perfectly safe in here, Hans. You won't have need for a sword, so you may as well leave it by the door until we return home.”

Knowing that she had a very good point, Hans sighed and unclipped the sword from his belt. If this was what it would take to keep the peace, he would comply. Marshmallow seemed satisfied with that as well. He whirled around and began to stomp his way into the hall, where the Snowgies were now beginning to gather, all eyes on Elsa. They took cautious steps closer, as if they didn't quite recognize her. Then, finally, one loud squeak triggered a cascade of noise. A mass of adorable white snowmen hit Elsa's legs like a wave crashing onto the shore, causing her to stumble. Even so, she was laughing.

“Whoah, settle down! Hello! It's good to see you again!” she called, leaning down to try and pet as many of the Snowgies as possible.

And speaking of Snowgies... A particular wriggling from Hans's waist pack informed him that Olly was getting restless. He raised the flap a bit more so the little snowman could hop right out. Olly landed on the floor with a graceless slide, his bandana askew and black eyes honed in on his Snowgie fellows.

Hans held his breath. This was the moment of truth.

Delighted squeaking broke loose as the other Snowgies swarmed Olly, absorbing him into the crowd like one of their own. A sigh of relief left Hans, then turned to a high-pitched squeak when he realized that Marshmallow was once again glaring at him.

“... You _steal_?” the golem asked in a deep, accusing rumble of a voice. Several icicle spikes began to grow on his back.

“N-No! I haven't touched anything!”

“You _steal_ one of my _brothers_?”

Hans's gaze moved to Olly, his bandana just barely visible in the sea of his many siblings. “Not at all! Olly is mine- I-I mean, Elsa graciously allowed him to be in my care these past two years, but I wanted him to meet his siblings, s-so...”

Right on cue, they both looked to Elsa again, who came across as a cornered animal, if only for a second. Then she drew a deep breath and folded her hands together. “I did indeed allow one of the Snowgies to remain in Arendelle under Prince Hans's care. I apologize for not keeping you informed, Marshmallow. However, that's all the more reason to make this reunion a pleasant one, don't you agree?”

Marshmallow grumbled, the icicles receding into his back again. Despite Elsa's suggestion, he still looked about as _un_ pleasant as could be, in Hans's opinion. This was going to be a very long reunion...

\---------

Elsa and Hans were gone; off to North Mountain on a mysterious quest. … Well, perhaps not quite so mysterious. Elsa had wanted to visit the Snowgies and while Anna had second-guessed that motive in her mind, she hadn't questioned it out loud. It was good, she felt, for Elsa to get out of the castle for once. She'd spend far too much of her time either cooped up in her office, discussing important matters with Kai or helping anyone came to her for advice. Anna had noticed that her sister had become increasingly tense. To go and enjoy the great outdoors, with its beautiful views, was exactly the thing Elsa needed. Hans was sure to be good company for her, too. He'd keep her out of trouble and cheer her up with his amazing, charming attitude.

But now Anna had lost two of the people most important to her for the day.

Not only that; Kai had taken to hunting _her_ down in Elsa's stead. There were decrees to approve, festivals to plan, disputes to settle... Anna hadn't realized just how much work Elsa did until she'd been forced to take over for a day. She wondered vaguely how her parents had handled it, for her mother had never looked stressed or even too busy. Then she came to the conclusion that it must've been easier for them because there'd been _two_ of them. Father and Mother had surely divided the work.

Anna entertained the idle question whether Elsa would ever marry someone who could take part of the load off her shoulders, then shook her head with a smile.

Speaking of significant others... It was time to seek shelter with one of her own. She slipped into the stables and hastily shut the door behind herself. Hopefully, no one had spotted her leaving the castle. Kai was on the prowl with a stack of papers; Anna had seen him from a safe distance. She couldn't let herself be cornered by him again.

“ _Hey_!” she heard Kristoff call out to her. “What brings the Substitute Queen of Arendelle to my humble abode?”

Sure enough, when she turned her head, she saw Kristoff bowing deeply. Sven had followed his lead, his snout almost touching the floor and one front leg curled backward.

She giggled at the mere sight of it. “Stop that! … That's a command from your queen.”

“You got it, Your Majesty,” Kristoff said, standing up straight again. His grin was so cheerful, Anna felt her knees weaken just a bit.

“I just needed to get away for a bit. You wouldn't _believe_ how insistent Kai can be,” she said. With that, she stepped up to Kristoff to throw her arms around his shoulders. In turn, she felt _his_ arms wrap around her waist. “Besides... I _missed_ you. I thought we could spend some time together. Maybe have a romantic picnic, just the two of us.”

Anna closed her eyes, stood on her toes and leaned in for a kiss, but several seconds passed before she realized the gesture wasn't being returned. She looked up at Kristoff again, noting that he was frowning, his own gaze caught on the wall. What was he so nervous about?

“You mean... Without Hans?” he ultimately asked.

Anna blinked and lowered herself down from her tippy-toes stance. “Well... _Yes_! Obviously. What's wrong with that?”

“It's just... We've never been on a real date without him before.”

For a moment, Anna wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. Yes, it was true that from the moment Kristoff had been roped into the relationship as the third person, all three of them had gone on dates together. All the affection and attention had been perfectly balanced. Still, that didn't mean going on a date while Hans was away was a reason to worry.

“So? I've been on dates with Hans without _you_ before,” she said.

“But that's... Isn't that different?”

“How is that different?”

Kristoff released his hold on her and took a step back, awkwardly rubbing a hand past his neck even as he smiled up towards the ceiling. “I... I don't know. I guess I'm just being silly.”

“You _are_ being silly!” Anna pointed out, though it was more teasing than an actual statement. “You know how Hans feels about this. Postponed engagement or no postponed engagement, we're _allowed_ to spend time with each other while he's away. Because that's what it means when all three of us are... You know, dating each other.”

“I know, I know. This day was going to come eventually...”

Anna raised a hand to her mouth, barely hiding a toothy grin. “Did you need Hans here to hold your hand while you kiss me?”

“ _No_!” was Kristoff's immediate, almost indignant response. Then he caught himself again, moving into an attitude that wasn't quite smooth, but confident nonetheless. He grabbed hold of Anna again, dipping her backwards and holding her steady in his strong, amazing arms. “No, I think I can do that just fine without any help.”

After releasing one more breathy chuckle, she closed her eyes and perked her lips a second time. This time, for sure...!

Unfortunately, before Kristoff's mouth could touch down on her own, a delighted holler rang through the stable with such volume, it started the both of them. Anna could feel Kristoff's hands falter and as a result, she'd had to cling to his shirt to be sure she wouldn't fall to the floor.

“ _ANNAAA_! _There_ you _AAARE_!” the shout had been.

Kristoff pulled her upright again, a very audible sound of frustration rumbling in his throat. Anna blinked and looked over to Olaf, who was standing in the stable's doorway. As always, he looked delighted to see her and so, she couldn't be mad at him.

“Hello Olaf...”

Not even waiting for an invitation, the snowman waddled his way into the stable until he was only a few steps away from Anna. His flurry dropped a few flakes onto her shoes. “I've been looking aaall over for you!” he was saying. “I learned to read a new word today! It's a really big one, too. _Super_ difficult. It's got a Q in it. _Inquisitive_ , do you know what that means?”

“I _do_ know what that means,” Anna replied with a light smile. As she turned to face Olaf completely, she could feel Kristoff's hands coming up to rest on her shoulders.

“Isn't it _great_? With this, I'll be able to read full books in no time! And then I can _write_ them! Oohoho, maybe I should go into the world to get some inspiration before I start writing, what do you think? Should we travel to some other countries? See some sights? We could go right now! I'll start packing.”

“ _What_...!” she heard Kristoff hiss quietly.

Anna, on the other hand, laughed. “We can't go _right now_ , Olaf. A trip like that would take months of preparation. Besides, Elsa and Hans are out of town, remember? We need to stay here and wait for them.”

“Oooh, because Arendelle is helpless without you to rule in Elsa's stead?” Olaf asked. Just like that, Anna felt a pang of pressure hit her square in the stomach. Olaf didn't seem to have noticed, as he prattled on. “Yeah, I get that! You _are_ one of the most amazing people in the world. You've got so much aaage and wisdooom... If that's how it is, I'd better stick around too. Oooh, maybe I can write my book about _you_!”

“That... That would be very sweet, Olaf.” Anna swallowed thickly, her smile faltering just a bit. Was Olaf really that impressed by her? She didn't think she was all that special or smart. Any book about her couldn't possibly be longer than ten pages, could it?

… Then again, if it'd include her trek to the North Mountain to save Elsa, the arrest of some bandits in the woods, her discovery of the truth behind Flemmingrad's death and the reconciliation with Weselton, it just might be a full tome after all. She truly had accomplished some great things, hadn't she?

“Listen, Olaf, Anna and me wanted to spend some time together, so do you think you could... _leave_?” Kristoff asked.

“Oh, sure! Say no more, say no more!” Olaf replied happily. He began to waddle over to the stable doorway again. “I know how it is with young love! I mean, I _don't_ know, because I haven't met the right person- err, _snow_ person, myself. But I know about love, you know! I'm growing mature enough to understand what privacy means. I'll get out of your hair. But uh... Do you want me to tell _Kai_ about that too?” Olaf asked when at last he stepped over the threshold.

Anna started and made to hide behind Kristoff, but she was too late. Kai stormed into the stable, looking as tense as over. “Your Highness! _There_ you are!”

“Oh no...” she whispered under her breath, raising both hands to her face.

“Come, your break is over. There's much to be done!” Kai took her by the arm with every intention of guiding her out the stables again.

“But can't I just-” she protested, only to be tugged away from Kristoff. “Oop! No, I suppose not. Ah. Alright then...”

She should've known she wouldn't _really_ have a choice in the matter. Once again, she'd have to honor her responsibilities to the kingdom. Not only was that what Elsa would've done, it was what their mother would've done. Yes, absolutely. Without a doubt, Queen Iduna wouldn't have tried to weasel her way out of work.

With that, Anna _really_ couldn't wait for Elsa to return. Not only would her sister be home again, she'd finally have the time she needed to spend with her two most beloved guys. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't compromise. She craned her head to shoot an apologetic smile Kristoff's way.

“I'll see you tonight, alright?” she called to him. “We'll have dinner! Just the two of us! Substitute Queens still need to eat!”

\---------

“Aaand she's gone,” Kristoff muttered as he watched his beloved get forcibly removed from the stable. It might've been his imagination, but he could've sworn he'd seen the steward shoot him the evil eye, too. Maybe the guy still thought of Kristoff as a bad influence. Maybe he thought Kristoff was holding their princess back.

“Don't worry, you still have _me_!” Olaf dashed right back into the stable, sliding along the floor in such a way that several bits of straw became lodged in his feet. “We'll have a _guy's_ day out. Just us _guys_! Yooou and meee and _Sveeen_...!”

Oh boy... Kristoff shook his head, exhaustion washing over him. He didn't _mind_ Olaf, he really didn't. In fact, he often enjoyed Olaf's company. The two of them- _three_ if they were to count Sven- were like the odd men out in this big fancy castle. The problem was that he wasn't always in the mood to deal with a very loud, very invasive snowman.

“Sorry, Olaf. I think I'll just go for a walk or something. But you can hang out with Sven if you want,” he said.

“What? Nooo! Don't be like that, Kristoff! Aren't we buddies? Shouldn't we stick together now that Anna's busy?”

“Well, sure, but-”

Much as Kristoff tried to turn away, Olaf slid himself into his field of vision again, both arms outstretched. “What's wrong? You look _down_. Are you feeling down, Kristoff? You can tell me!”

“I'm not feeling _down_.”

“Sickly? Itchy? Did you eat another funny mushroom?”

Once again, Kristoff pointedly tried to move his attention elsewhere. He looked to Sven, only to be met with something close to pity. The reindeer knew exactly what was on Kristoff's mind. Of course he would; Sven could always read him like a book. In turn, Kristoff could give word to his buddy's thoughts.

“ _He's just feeling out of place, like a reindeer in the wrong pasture, that's all_ ,” Sven 'chimed in'.

“ _Sven_! Ssshhh!” Kristoff huffed at him. Then he turned just in time to see Olaf's jaw drop.

“Haaah? But isn't this the _right_ pasture for you to be? I thought you _loved_ the stables,” the snowman said.

“Yeah, well... That's the problem, isn't it?” Kristoff asked, admitting defeat. There was no way to dodge Olaf's questions now. “Everyone's got their life of luxury and all these royal duties to tend to... All I've got is these stables and a couple of weird, meaningless titles like Ice Master and Deliverer. Nobody's delivered ice to Arendelle in almost _three years_!”

“We do have a _lot_ of it...” Olaf mused thoughtfully.

“Anna and Hans have their own way of living life and it's completely different from mine. And I know that they love me, but I just...” Kristoff heaved a sigh and dropped himself down on a bundle of hay. “Their love doesn't change that I wasn't born into royalty like they were. And it doesn't change that the people already know Hans as the charming prince who watched over them while Anna and Elsa were gone. They _adore_ him. But me? I don't think I'm ever going to amount to anything around here. I'm just the weirdo with the pet reindeer who lives in the stables. _Everyone_ knows that.”

“I _do_ know that...” Olaf paused and raised a hand to his chin. “... But that doesn't mean you have to settle for being that weirdo! If you want to go and live in the castle and become a charming royal, you can just _do_ that! I'm sure Anna and Elsa will give you a big, fancy bedroom!”

“Eh... I don't know if I _want_ that.”

“How will you know until you try?”

“Eehhh...”

Olaf grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet with a surprising amount of force from a tiny snow person. “You don't have to move in right away! You just have to take things one step at a time! Let's go into the castle right now to get you acclimatized- That's another fancy word I just learned. _Acclimatized_. It means you get used to it, you see! We'll bring Sven for emotional support!”

“I don't think Sven is allowed inside the-”

“C'mon, Sven! Off we go!”

While Kristoff still hoped that Sven would object to the plan and save him, nothing could've been further from the truth. The reindeer stepped up behind Kristoff and began to shove him with his antlers, pushing him through the stable door even as Olaf tugged at his fingers.

This was going to be bad...

**To Be Continued**


	26. The Royal Steward

\---------  
  
_“What are you showing me? I'm ready to see. I need to know who you are, to know who I am meant to be.”_  
  
\---------  
  
What time was it? Just past four? Almost five? Anna cast a stare out the nearby window, watching the distant waves as they bobbed. It was so very calming. How she wished she could be out there, maybe taking a walk along the fjord's water. She would've removed her shoes and allowed the sand to weave between her toes. Kristoff could've joined her there too. It would've been so perfect. Wasn't she _done_ with being locked inside the castle? Shouldn't she have had her freedom now? It was so unfair...  
  
“Your Highness.”  
  
Kai's voice broke through her thoughts and she reluctantly turned her head away from the view beyond the window, instead taking in the specifics of the office. The royal steward, sitting across the desk from her, seemed quite impatient.  
  
“Ah, yes. _Yes_ , of course. Let's do that... that _thing_ you were talking about. I was listening- I really was,” she said.  
  
A narrow of the eyes, then Kai heaved a deep sigh. Anna must've been wearing him down. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? She couldn't remember him ever _truly_ losing his temper. Somehow, Kai had always had the patience of a saint for as long as she could remember.  
  
“I will allow you to leave in just a moment, Your Highness,” he ultimately said. “There is just one more matter which requires a decision from you.”  
  
“Oh good! I can decide _one_ more thing!” Anna exclaimed, relieved. She'd been choosing between different options all day, after all; from the entertainment for the upcoming anniversary celebration to whether they should renovate the stained glass windows of the cathedral, she'd given her opinion on all those things just fine.  
  
“We have one trade ship in port at the moment. It is ready to depart tonight. Originally, this ship was meant to deliver an assortment of vegetables to Weasel-” Kai broke off quite abruptly and cleared his throat. “Pardon. I mean _Wesel_ ton, as per our new trade agreement. However, we've received an urgent appeal from the kingdom of Maldonia this afternoon. Slugs have been ransacking their wheat fields during winter and now, they have very little left. Without wheat, they cannot provide the kingdom with bread.”  
  
Anna gasped. “Or _cookies_.”  
  
“... Or cookies.” Kai took hold of a pen and tapped it against the desk in an almost distracted manner. “As we have enough to spare, it would be in our best interest to send a large shipment of wheat Maldonia's way. However, that would fill the entire vessel, leaving very little space for Weselton's vegetables. Not only that, the shipment to Weselton would suffer a severe delay. If we prioritize the vegetables, the wheat for Maldonia would either be halved in its amount or be a week late if the ship were to return to Arendelle for restocking.”  
  
Anna frowned. This wasn't like deciding on entertainment at all! She was being asked to choose one starving country over another. How could _anyone_ decide something like that? Her stomach clenched as she frantically searched for a way to help _both_ at the same time.  
  
“Well, don't we have any other ships coming in soon who could go to Weselton? _Tomorrow_ , maybe?” she asked, though deep down she already knew it couldn't possibly be that easy.  
  
“Not at all. Two of our vessels were badly damaged in the storm last month and Queen Elsa prioritized repairing Arendelle's buildings over port maintenance,” Kai explained.  
  
The storm... Anna remembered that one vividly. Strong gusts of wind, harsh rain and even some tidal waves had swept in from the Arenfjord, attacking their beloved city without mercy. She had been safe inside the castle, as had her closest loved ones, but the _citizens_ hadn't been quite as lucky. It made perfect sense that Elsa would've focused the repair efforts on her own people instead of a few ships; Anna would've decided the same thing.  
  
It did leave them with a problem now, though.  
  
Her gaze went back out the window. What would Elsa have done? What would her _parents_ have done, or even her grandfather? Ruling was in her blood, so surely she could make an educated decision.  
  
“Well, we should send the ship to Weselton first, right? Because that was the plan before we got the request from Maldonia,” Anna stated, though even as she said it, the doubt began to hit her. “No, _wait_. Maybe that's just my personal feelings talking, because I was the one who brought Weselton back into our trade agreements. If Maldonia needs our supplies more, we should definitely have the ship set sail for them, right? … But then, people can go without bread and cookies for a while, can't they? Vegetables are more important for a good meal, sooo...”  
  
“So...”  
  
Anna let out a quiet wail and put her head down on the desk, wrapping her arms around it to hide herself from view. “So I'm _terrible_ at this, aren't I?”  
  
When Kai didn't reply, Anna assumed that he couldn't deny it. He would never _lie_ to her, after all, so it was better to say nothing at all. Ugh, why did Elsa have to choose _today_ to go visit the Snowgies? A decision like this one... Surely she didn't have to face something this horrid every day, right?  
  
When at last she looked up, she saw that Kai was now standing near the window. He looked quite lost in thought. “... Your Highness,” he began quietly. “As you know, I have been in the royal family's employ for many years. I was raised during the reign of your grandfather, King Runeard, and joined the castle staff as a mere apprentice when I was only fifteen years old.”  
  
“Really? _Fifteen_?” Anna asked. She _hadn't_ known that, actually.  
  
Kai politely ignored her astonishment. “It wasn't long after that King Runeard was lost to us. The kingdom was in disarray and so, for a few years, your father's life became quite difficult. He did not allow it to show in public, but as I was quite close to his own age, he... Well, he came to confide in me, I suppose.”  
  
“Did he really?”  
  
“Arendelle had never seen a king as renowned or confident as King Runeard; no one was more aware of this than King Agnarr. Even before he came of age and took the crown, he was already concerned with doing his father's legacy proud. He second-guessed everything he did and more often than not, he would attempt to retreat from it. Whether it was into the fantasy of another thrilling book he'd found or into the company of your mother, there were often times when the entire castle staff was forced to hunt him down.”  
  
Anna chuckled under her breath. “I didn't know that.”  
  
“Your father often believed he was not fit to be king when he was younger, but when the time came, there was no doubt about it; every decision he ever made was very well considered. Nothing was ever done on a whim or a dangerous impulse. He was nothing like King Runeard, but that was fine. Arendelle didn't _need_ another version of the king we'd lost. All we needed was a new king's care and devotion.”  
  
The story took a moment to sink in. Her father had had doubts... _Her_ father, the bravest and wisest man she'd ever known, had struggled with his position. She'd never been able to tell. More and more, her parents began to feel like strangers to her. Oddly enough, at the same time, she felt connected with them. Her father had been just like her and probably just like Elsa, too.  
  
“... Thank you, Kai,” she said. Only now did she realize that he was one of the few trustworthy sources she had when it came to anecdotes about her parents. “I suppose... What you're saying is that I should find my own way to rule in Elsa's place. I shouldn't be thinking about what _she_ \- or anyone else would do. I should think about what's best for Arendelle and what's best for _everyone_.”  
  
Kai smiled at her. “Correct.”  
  
Much as she tried to rid herself of lingering memories and instead focus on the present, there was one more nagging thought which stuck to the back of her head. It was the knowledge that Arendelle had gone without a true ruler before. This had happened not only after her grandfather's passing, but after the loss of her own parents as well. Arendelle had spent several years waiting for the next queen to come of age and in that time, they'd functioned just fine. One person in particular was to thank for that.  
  
“What would _you_ do?” she asked, peering up at Kai again.  
  
“I beg your pardon?”  
  
“I mean, I know I just said I shouldn't be thinking about what anyone else would do, but... You know our trade agreements inside out. You're probably one of the smartest, most capable people in Arendelle! If anyone can devise a good plan, it's you!” Anna clapped her hands together, grinning brightly. “So I suppose... My decision as Substitute Queen of Arendelle is to ask you for your advice.”  
  
There were a few seconds where Kai looked genuinely overwhelmed. Then his features softened into another smile as he gave the matter due thought. “Well, let's see. Our trade agreement with Weselton requires us to deliver the shipment of vegetables once a month. However, the more fine print of the agreement states that in return for maintaining this schedule, we are allowed to request a small emergency shipment of yarn, spices or wheat. If we set sail for Weselton, we may trade the vegetables for wheat. We would not receive much if we rely on our trade agreement alone, but perhaps, once the duke hears of Maldonia's predicament, he will want to lend them his complementary aid as well. It would do wonders for Weselton's reputation.”  
  
“That's brilliant!” Anna exclaimed, smacking a hand down on the table. “I knew I could count on you! You're the _best_! Have I ever told you that?”  
  
While it might've been a trick of the light, Anna could've sworn she saw a light blush on Kai's cheeks.  
  
\---------  
  
Things had gone from bad to worse over the course of their visit. Elsa had had no clear idea of how to test Marshmallow's resistance to heat up while they were up in the cold mountain range, so Hans had suggested building a fire. Unfortunately, the golem had panicked at the sight of even the smallest flame and attempted to tear Hans to ribbons. Elsa had interjected to prevent any actual physical harm, but from that point on, any attempt to leave a good impression on Marshmallow had been destined to fail.  
  
Not to mention, they now had no means of verifying whether the golem possessed permafrost or not. If he was so deadly afraid of fire, they would never be able to convince him to go near it. It was interesting that unlike Marshmallow, both Olaf and the many Snowgies held a strong interest in heat, but Hans doubted that was the answer Elsa had been searching for.  
  
When at last it was time to head home, he was sure they were both feeling equally disappointed.  
  
“Thank you for your time, Marshmallow,” Elsa was saying. “Please, continue to look after the palace and the Snowgies for me, alright?”  
  
“You got it, Elsa. Leave to me,” Marshmallow replied cheerfully. That was one of the most eloquent sentences Hans had heard him utter all day. Another difference between the golem and Olaf, he supposed.  
  
“It's time to go home, Olly,” Hans called towards the many Snowgies, all of whom were chattering in a language only _they_ could understand. Or perhaps it wasn't a language at all. Perhaps it was nothing but aimless squeaking.  
  
He waited, but nothing happened. Not a single Snowgie separated from the crowd. Hans couldn't spot the bandana anywhere, either.  
  
“... Olly?” he called again, a bit louder this time.  
  
Marshmallow uttered a deep, mean little guffaw. When Hans glimpsed his way, not only did he take note of a wide grin; Olly's bandana was dangling from a single icicle claw. The golem must've taken it on purpose to be sure Hans couldn't find his little friend quite as easily anymore. The Snowgies looked virtually identical and there were just so _many_ of them.  
  
“ _You_...!”  
  
“Little brother will _stay_ ,” Marshmallow remarked.  
  
“You can't decide that for him!”  
  
“ _He_ decides.”  
  
Hans's first instinct was to look to Elsa for help again, only to realize he'd been doing that all day. He couldn't keep counting on her to bail him out. So he stood his ground. “Fine, he _will_!”  
  
A long moment passed and for just a split second, Hans feared that his bluff had cost him. Then there was a tug at the leg of his pants. He looked down to see Olly standing by his ankle. The little guy must've approached him from behind, implying he hadn't been mixed in with the crowd of Snowgies at all.  
  
“Olly!” Relieved, Hans scooped his friend up with both hands and held him to his cheek. Olly was just as refreshingly cold as ever. Unable to stop himself from smirking, he turned to face Marshmallow. “I'll be taking that bandana back, if you don't mind.”  
  
This time, whatever it was that Marshmallow uttered wasn't eloquent at all.  
  
\---------  
  
Kristoff was still wandering the halls of the castle with his two quirky buddies. Olaf was riding along on Sven's back, occasionally standing on tiptoe to peer through antlers. Castle staff kept shooting them odd looks which Kristoff tried to ignore, but unfortunately, they left him on edge anyway.  
  
“-And once we've stopped by the portrait gallery in the West wing, we can go see the _bathrooms_ there,” Olaf was prattling on. “Bathrooms are probably the closest thing to a stable you can find in a castle, right? So maybe _that'll_ help you feel right at home. And then-”  
  
Kristoff groaned under his breath. A grandfather clock caught his eye and told him it was past five. “We've been at this for hours already. Can we just go outside and get some fresh air?”  
  
“Ooh, right, you have a dinner date with Anna, don't you?” Olaf asked. “Alright, we'll do _just_ the portrait gallery and save the bathrooms for another time. Can't have you acclimatizing too much in one day, right?”  
  
Kristoff groaned again. He knew he was being silly- that he had every right to be inside the castle and anyone who told him to leave would have to face Anna's wrath. Even so, he felt distinctly out of place when surrounded by so many expensive, shiny things. How did _Olaf_ walk around here with so much ease? … Well, he probably didn't stop to think about his place in the universe, or even inside a hallway. Must've been nice not to have a care in the world.  
  
“Ahem?” uttered a familiar voice behind them.  
  
While Kristoff whirled around sharply, his heart shooting up into his throat, Sven turned at a far more leisurely pace. Now all three of them were left staring at the royal steward. As always, Kristoff couldn't quite _read_ the guy's expression and he was sure they were in for a scolding. Reindeer had no place inside a castle- even less than weirdos who slept in stables or living snowmen.  
  
“It was _Olaf's_ idea!” he called in a mad panic, directing both index fingers the culprit's way to emphasize his point.  
  
Olaf chuckled under his breath; a deep, hoarse titter. “You're too _kind_ ,” he said, one twiggy hand raised to his mouth. “I can't take _all_ the credit. That would be too much! But yes, it _was_ my idea.”  
  
“... _What_ was, exactly?” Kai asked, frowning.  
  
“Why, to have Kristoff come in here more and get used to the castle!” Olaf blurted out right off the bat. Much as Kristoff tried to shush him, it did no good. Elsa had evidently forgotten to create a filter between his brain and his mouth, and so, Olaf continued his ramble. “Because he's feeling out of place as the stable weirdo! I think Hans in particular makes him feel really inadequate. Isn't that a great word too? _Inadequate_! But he just needs reminding that he can be adequate too! And then maybe he'll be convinced to shower more often. Everyone wins!”  
  
If there was a deeper, rockier bottom, Kristoff couldn't see it. Torn between embarrassment and anger, he couldn't do much more than hide his face behind both hands. Not only would it prevent the royal steward from seeing _his_ 'inadequate' dismay, it would prevent Kristoff from seeing whatever Kai's silent response was.  
  
“ _Olaf_...!” he ended up hissing through his teeth.  
  
“What? It's true, isn't it? You _do_ need to shower more often.”  
  
Kristoff whirled around again, towards the end of the hall. “I'll just let myself out. And uh... Come back in for dinner later. Sorry to bother you.”  
  
Odd as it was, he couldn't take more than two steps before he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. It was the steward. While he still looked as serious as ever, there was something softer in his eyes. _Pity_ , Kristoff assumed. With Olaf having spilled the beans and Kai being the sort of man who wouldn't laugh at someone else's misfortune, pity was the next best option.  
  
“I will accompany you to the portrait gallery.”  
  
“Oh, no,” Kristoff stammered. “You don't need to-”  
  
“That'll be great! Thanks, Kai!” Olaf cut across him.  
  
And with that, the matter was settled. There was nothing else Kristoff could say or do to avoid... whatever was coming. Maybe the stewards wanted to accompany them because he worried that Kristoff would break something, or leave stains. Or maybe he even thought Kristoff would _steal_ something. What a jerk.  
  
A few minutes later, they were standing in a large room filled to the brim with portraits. There were several rooms like that in the castle, Kristoff was sure. While others held more fictional paintings, this one focused on people who'd actually existed once upon a time. People who held high esteem, from former royal family to accomplished scientists and historians. They were the pride of Arendelle. Not knowing how this was supposed to help him 'acclimatize' to anything, Kristoff lingered near the door. Sven, on the other hand, strode to the center of the room, taking it all in. Olaf, who was still on his back, uttered a loud “ooooh! _Aaaah_...!”  
  
And then there was the steward, who walked up to a portrait of Anna's parents. He folded his hands behind his back as he gazed up at the couple. “... I don't suppose,” he began slowly, his voice booming across the room, “anyone has ever taken the liberty of explaining Queen Iduna's heritage to you?”  
  
While Kristoff was sure the question was directed at him, Olaf was the one who jumped down from Sven's back to skitter over to Kai's side. “Her _heritage_?” he asked with a note of excitement.  
  
“I should say, perhaps... Her lack thereof.” the steward turned his head to smile down at Olaf. “Please, don't allow her appearance in these portraits to fool you. Regal as she may seem, Queen Iduna was not born of royal blood.”  
  
“She _wasn't_?!”  
  
Olaf's surprise was evident and loud, matching Kristoff's own in just how strong an emotion it was. Anna had never mentioned anything like that. Then again, Anna had _never_ brought up her parents' pasts. She'd only ever talked about the stories they'd told, the lullabies they'd sang and the very bad decisions they'd made when it came to Elsa's powers.  
  
“When the queen first came to Arendelle, she was no more than a young orphan,” Kai explained. “She refused to speak of where she'd come from. She was brash, she was full of energy, she would often pull mischievous pranks... Most of all, she knew nothing of Arendellian culture. I was told that the first time she laid eyes on our grand castle, she'd become absolutely overwhelmed by it.”  
  
Olaf crossed his arms over his chest, making a bit of a face. “Are you _sure_? That doesn't sound much like the mom Anna and Elsa are always talking about.”  
  
“I'm quite sure. She was a good friend to me as well, and so, I watched her grow into the composed woman she became. It was... a challenge at times. Etiquette lessons in particular frustrated her immensely.”  
  
“ _Really_?”  
  
“Normally, a curious girl like her would have no place near the royal family. However, the young Prince Agnarr was instantly taken with her. The loss of his father was still fresh, leaving him in need of the cheer only she could provide. He invited her to stay nearby, and so, she accepted a job in the castle. She looked after the horses and reindeer, residing in the stables for quite a few years.”  
  
Kristoff didn't need the Look Kai shot his way to know just what was being said. In fact, it sounded a little too on the nose to be genuine. He shuffled his feet and turned his own gaze towards the far wall. Unfortunately, Olaf's next remark still reached his ears just fine to rub salt in the wound.  
  
“Wow, that sounds just like _Kristoff_!” the snowman declared.  
  
“Mmh.” Kai smiled back up at the portrait. “When the time came for the young prince to choose a wife, there was no doubt who it would be. No one objected. The people of Arendelle had already grown to love Iduna's kind heart and her enthusiasm, just as the prince had. Together, they became one of the most distinguished couples this land had ever seen. We never did find out just where she'd lived before coming to Arendelle. Even so, I don't believe Queen Iduna ever forgot her old home. There were times when I spotted her on a balcony, her gaze caught on the far horizon beyond the fjord. It felt as if she were lost in her own memories, perhaps waiting for them to catch up with her.”  
  
“And _that_...” Olaf concluded slowly, “sounds kind of like Elsa, actually. Wow. Maybe Queen Iduna secretly had magical powers too! Wouldn't that be something?”  
  
Kai shook his head. “I believe if that were the case, she would have been able to offer her daughter more advice on how to control it.”  
  
“Oh... Right...”  
  
Kristoff squinted up at the portrait again, taking in the queen's passive, gentle smile. It was difficult to connect it to words like “brash” and “mischievous pranks”. Still, he doubted the steward would lie about those things. If he did, it would be only too easy to uncover the truth. The only lesson to take away from it all was that Kristoff couldn't judge a person based on their outward appearance.  
  
Just like how he shouldn't have judged the royal steward based on all the stern looks Kristoff had _thought_ he'd seen.  
  
He finally stepped away from the gallery's threshold and towards the portrait, coming to a stop by Kai's other side. An awkward clearing of the throat, then he found his voice. “... Thanks. For sharing that story, I mean. It uh... It really helped put things into perspective.”  
  
“It's no problem. I have more than enough of these stories to share, I've come to realize. I ought to reminisce more often.” Kai, still smiling, turned away from the portrait to face Kristoff entirely. “The reindeer is free to wander the castle as often as you wish. I _would_ ask that you clean up after him if there's ever a need, though.”  
  
Knowing exactly what Kai was referring to, Kristoff couldn't help but laugh. As for Sven, he stepped closer to nudge the steward's arm with his snout. It was a sign of gratitude that was returned with a pat on the head.  
  
“Oh, don't worry, we were still going to visit the bathrooms after this,” Olaf pointed out. “Maybe we can train Sven to put _those_ to good use.”  
  
For the first time since Kristoff had known this man, he heard the royal steward laugh.  
  
\---------  
  
It came as a relief when Hans was finally able to breathe the fresh mountain air outside the palace again. They made their way down the steps with a slow, deliberate pace, Olly now once again situated in Hans's waist pack. His sword had returned to its usual place as well. Now all they needed to do was retrieve their horses and they could leave this place behind. Anna and Kristoff would surely be expecting some exciting stories. Hans wasn't sure yet just what he would tell them.  
  
Several minutes later, they'd mounted their horses and gotten started on the long trek home. The sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky overhead. It would be dark in a matter of hours. The time of dinner was just around the corner and aside from what little food they'd brought, they hadn't had anything proper to eat. They should've prepared better.  
  
“Hans... Can I ask you something?”  
  
“I believe you just did,” was Hans's reflexive reply. While he'd smiled, he became more sober when he saw the serious look on Elsa's face. “Ah- I apologize. I mean... Of course.”  
  
Elsa drew in a deep breath before speaking. “Do you consider me to be a good leader?”  
  
“I- Well, of course I do. What brought this on?”  
  
“It's... It's nothing. Nevermind. Forget I said anything.”  
  
“Is this because of what happened with Marshmallow today?” Hans couldn't help but feel guilty now. He should've stood his own ground sooner instead of expecting Elsa to interfere at every little confrontation. “I don't believe I was ever destined to get along with him. Too much history, I'm afraid. That's not at all your fault.”  
  
“No, that's not... quite it. Though it certainly didn't help.” Elsa looked out over the land stretching out before them. The walls of the city were just barely visible from this great height. “It is true that I'm the Queen of Arendelle. However... Marshmallow and the Snowgies are also my people, so to speak. I wonder whether I'm letting them down. Shouldn't I be there for them more? ...My powers are growing every day, but I feel as if I don't _understand_ them. Maybe this is where I need to be in order to find the answers I seek. But whenever I consider that notion, I can't help but think of Anna and of Arendelle. I can't simply leave _them_ , either.”  
  
Hans thought that was a very difficult point to debate. Not only that, the sentiments came as a bit of a surprise. These past few years, he'd assumed that Elsa was slowly but surely finding her place as the ruler of Arendelle. She had become the most wonderful queen, after all. To find out now that she was still torn between the life of human royalty and the life of a powerful sorceress was troubling; not just for all those who relied on Elsa and who loved her, but for Elsa herself as well.  
  
He didn't think he was at all fit to give advice, but he knew he had to _try_.  
  
“It's an awful long journey up here. I will accompany you whenever you want to pay your snow denizens another visit, but... If you don't mind my saying so, it's impossible for you to be in two places at once. There may come a time where you will have to choose. Since Marshmallow and his little brothers are not bogged down by bureaucracy, the people of Arendelle have more need for you.”  
  
“ _Do_ they, though...?” Elsa muttered. Hans had to strain his ears to hear her, and even when he did, he couldn't quite make sense of it.  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
“Ah, I mean... Arendelle has _Anna_. I'm certain that she'd be very adept at stepping up whenever I'm away.”  
  
“I suppose that's true,” Hans admitted. Anna had been pulling more and more weight lately in a royal capacity. It was quite admirable. Even then, he didn't know whether he should've been encouraging Elsa to take more time away from Arendelle. The next best suggestion he could make was for her to speak to _Anna_ about these concerns.  
  
He never got the chance to utter that sentiment out loud.  
  
There was a very odd, abrupt sequence of events. It started with a sharp whistling. Elsa cringed and slapped a hand to the side of her neck as if she'd tried to flatten a mosquito. There was a loud jeering from nearby; several voices all crying out as one. Hans turned his head and saw three riders on horseback pull out from behind rocky wall, followed by a fourth man on a horsedrawn sled. Each one of the strangers had used cloth to hide their faces and each one of them wielded a weapon.  
  
The connections surged through Hans's mind right after another. Bandits. Ambush. _Protect Elsa_.  
  
He turned Sitron round to face the incoming charge and drew his sword, even as he yelled over his shoulder. “Go! Get out of here! I'll hold them off!”  
  
“Don't be ridiculous, Hans! I can... I can just use... Ah...”  
  
Hans had no idea why Elsa had trailed off like that; he'd barely registered it as happening at all. Eyes narrowing, he chose his first target and spurred Sitron forward. Metal clashed with metal. Some very coarse insults were thrown Hans's way. He ignored them. A flurry of ice shot past them, knocking one of the other bandits off his horse. Despite asking her to run, Elsa had joined in on the fray from afar. Thankful as he was, Hans really wished that she hadn't.  
  
Through the mayhem, he felt his waist pack jiggle. Olly must've sensed that there was danger afoot; perhaps he was even hoping to help Elsa as well. Hans wouldn't allow it. Olly had no place in a battlefield, so he told himself that waist pack would have to remain firmly shut.  
  
Hans focused his attention back on his nearest opponent, searching for a weak point in the battered, perhaps _stolen_ armor. If he could take another bandit out of the equation, this fight would become a lot more fair. Unfortunately, it left him blind to incoming danger. He had only about a second to process a whizzing sound- an incoming arrow. Then Sitron reared in a sudden, jerky manner. Hans managed to clamp his heels down against the horse's body and hold on to the reins for support with one hand. Even so, the motion and the accompanying alarm left him off guard.  
  
Before he even knew exactly what'd hit him, he'd been knocked sideways off Sitron's back by a follow-up attack.  
  
Despite the snow acting as somewhat of a cushion, he hit the ground hard. His head collided with something solid, perhaps a tree root or a rock. He heard Elsa call his name, but with the world spinning around him, he was left winded. It wasn't until he saw the blur of a hoof right before his face that he thought to roll himself into the other direction. He'd only narrowly avoided getting trampled by one of the bandits' horses, he realized a few seconds later.  
  
Still dazed, he planted his hands down against the ground and pushed himself up to the best of his ability. Something warm rolled down the side of his face. He was bleeding. Where was _Sitron_? At a safe distance, he verified immediately after. Good. He had to get up and keep fighting for- _Damn_.  
  
Elsa was standing beside her horse, the left side of her cloak covered in fresh snow. Had she _fallen_? Even now, it seemed like she was having trouble standing up straight. Something dropped from her hand, but Hans couldn't make out what it was from such a great distance. Two of the bandits darted towards her. She waved an arm to try and keep them at bay, but the flurry of magic she released missed its mark spectacularly and flew up towards the sky instead. Why was she swaying like that? Was she unwell? Had the bandits drugged her with a projectile?  
  
“ _ELSA_!”  
  
In a panic, he tried to scramble back to his feet. Trouble was, his balance was still off and his ears were ringing. He fell right back down. He had no idea where his sword was, but it didn't matter. At this rate, the bandits were going to get exactly what they'd come for. He had to stop them. “ _Sitron_!” he shouted, and the next second, his trusty horse came running his way.  
  
If he could just get over there...  
  
“Kill the guard!” he heard someone shout. It was the one on the sled, who was entirely too occupied with sticking in Elsa's near vicinity to act upon the sentiment himself.  
  
Turning his head, Hans saw the last bandit very close by, sword drawn. It would take four, perhaps five steps to close the distance. He had no way to defend himself. Could he clamber onto Sitron's back in time? The horse had just come to a full stop beside him and looked ready to rear; ready to kick the incoming threat in the face with two front hooves. The biggest question was whether Sitron would overpower a sword-wielding maniac. Hans had to get back on his feet, or this battle would be over for certain. He needed to reach the dangling reins and use them for support.  
  
Ultimately, his position in the fight was robbed from him. There was another twinkle, another incoming flurry of magic. Ice rose from the ground before him- no, _all around_ him. It went up and up, forming a wall around himself and Sitron, then closed at the top like a dome. Startled, he cast a glance _through_ the ice, towards Elsa. Both her arms lowered and with that, she fell to the ground. The bandits closed in on her immediately.  
  
“ _NO_! Don't touch her! _ELSA_!” Hans roared. He scrambled over to the side of the dome, ramming his fist against it. He beat it again and again, but it wouldn't even so much as crack. The bandit on the other side must've given up on the order to kill, as he'd sheathed his sword and was now approaching his own horse.  
  
Elsa was loaded onto the sled. Hans could do nothing but watch. Through the thick layer of ice, he could only _just_ make out the jeers of celebration. With that, the bandits sped off again, towards a forest further down the summit. Hans couldn't believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be _real_. The ache in his head told him otherwise, though, as did the drops of blood staining the snow below him. His knuckles were sure to be bruised after connecting with the dome of ice so many times.  
  
By protecting him, Elsa had ensured that Hans could no longer protect _her_. He'd failed.  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	27. The Royal Guard

\---------  
  
 _“Can't sit around and cry. There's too much to lose. And I think that I've been given this power for a reason, and I need to know why.”_  
  
\---------  
  
Trapped within the protective shell of Elsa's ice, time felt meaningless to Hans. Had it been ten minutes or had it been an hour? The dome showed no sign of vanishing. Of course it wouldn't; all of Elsa's structures would stand tall until the time came for them to either melt away or for Elsa to _wish_ them gone. The first option was already out of the question, as nothing could melt so high up on North Mountain. If Elsa still hadn't released him by now, she must've been unable to do so. Was she unconscious or had something even worse happened? Had those bandits taken her with the intention of selling a ruling monarch or the intention of killing a dangerous witch? No- Surely, they would've killed her right then and there instead of taking her elsewhere.  
  
He'd had _one job_...!  
  
Hans might as well be trapped in there forever. That way, he would never have to face Anna or anyone else who might blame him for Elsa's disappearance. He would never have to see them cry. A rescue party would be sent out once he failed to return to Arendelle, though. They'd come hunt him down soon enough. Did he have enough oxygen in here to last that long?  
  
How was he meant to explain himself? Could the rescue party go after the bandits and retrieve Elsa, or would they be too late? Perhaps those fiends were already halfway out the kingdom by now. If that were the case, they'd never see Elsa again.  
  
How could he have screwed up this badly?  
  
He sat with his knees pulled up to his chest, trembling under the weight of it all. Sitron occasionally attempted to comfort him with a nudge to the shoulder or the neck, but it did little good. Olly sat on his lap, looking a bit distraught as well. Hans doubted the little guy understood what was going on; Olly must've been infected by his sadness.  
  
Why had Elsa even chosen someone like him to be part of her guard? There were so many better candidates, weren't there? Had it only been because of his connection to Anna? Had it been out of pity? He shouldn't have been granted this sort of responsibility or power. Now they were losing precious time, Arendelle would lose its queen, Anna would lose her sister, Hans would lose everything...  
  
And with that, he realized one very obvious fact: There was a whole lot to lose, but they hadn't lost _yet_.  
  
Wasn't _this_ why Elsa had chosen him, perhaps? Because no matter how many times in his life he'd been beaten down, he would get back up again? Hadn't he always tried to keep others safe and comfortable? Hadn't he even found the courage to stand up to someone like _Caleb_ when a loved one was in danger? And what was he doing now? _Nothing_. That was unacceptable, really.  
  
“We can't just sit here feeling sorry for ourselves, can we?” he ultimately asked Olly, his confidence mounting. “Elsa brought us along on this trip for a reason. She's _counting_ on us. Because we're... We're her guard. And her friends. We have to get out of here so we can save her.”  
  
For a few seconds, Olly looked a bit lost. Then he turned round to face the icy barrier surrounding them and hopped down to the ground. His little feet began to skitter, brushing aside mounds of white. Hans frowned and leaned forward to get a better look, as up until now, he hadn't thought something like this was possible. Even Sitron took a step closer and tilted his head, looking thoroughly confused. Olly burrowed himself down into the snow- down so deep that within seconds, Hans could no longer see him. Already, his mind was two steps ahead with a deduction about what might happen next. It was silly, really, but then... Elsa's creations were always more than they appeared.  
  
A small tuft of snow exploded upwards on the other side of the dome and there stood Olly, having successfully tunneled his way to freedom.  
  
“ _Amazing_!” Hans exclaimed, somewhat breathless. There was no way he could follow a lead like that; the tunnel was far too small and already collapsing. Even so, it was a start. “Go get help, Olly!” he called out, hoping his voice would make it to the other side of the icy barrier.  
  
Olly blinked at him.  
  
“ _Help_ ,” he tried again, really emphasizing the word. “Get... _help_!”  
  
A few more seconds of silence, then Olly skittered off. Hans's stomach fell, though, when he realized the little guy wasn't heading down the summit. Instead, he'd darted off in the direction of Elsa's old ice palace.  
  
 _Oh no_...  
  
Hans buried his face in his hands, dreading what would come next. He felt Sitron nudge his shoulder in a soothing manner. Time stretched itself out in silence until a loud roar echoed through the mountains. That was already a bad omen. Loud stomps drew ever closer and as they did, Hans could swear he felt the ground tremble. He was even sure, after the footsteps came to a halt by the dome of ice, that he felt a glower dig its way into his very being.  
  
Knowing he would have to face the music eventually, he lifted his head back up and cast a glance towards the terrifying, enormous, _aggravated_ snow golem. Olly was sitting on the big guy's shoulder, as proud as could be.  
  
“... Hello again,” Hans said with a smile that kept trying to waver out of existence.  
  
At the very least, they could agree on the fact that this was not a happy reunion, because Marshmallow did not seem happy to see _him_ either. The golem's brow was set in such a deep glare, the presence of an additional layer of ice to hold him at bay brought Hans some relief.  
  
“Where's Elsa?” Marshmallow asked, his rumbling voice making its way into the dome just fine. There was a note of _blame_ to the question that Hans knew to be justified.  
  
“She was taken by bandits,” he explained. Already, he could see Marshmallow's claw curl into a fist.  
  
“You said you protect Elsa.”  
  
“... I did say that.”  
  
“You no protect her.”  
  
“I'm sorry.”  
  
“You _stupid_?”  
  
“... A bit.”  
  
Marshmallow bristled and scoffed, then turned to leave. He would go find Elsa, Hans supposed, but then... He had no idea of where to search for her. He hadn't seen the bandits, nor which direction they'd fled. On his own, Marshmallow wouldn't be able to do much good. The big guy must've been aching to do _something_ , though.  
  
… Just like Hans.  
  
“ _Wait_!” he shouted, jumping to his feet. As he did so, he almost hit his head on the sloping ceiling of the dome, but he couldn't let it distract him. “Please, wait!”  
  
Marshmallow slowed to a halt again and while he didn't turn to face Hans, he must've been listening.  
  
“I know that you don't trust me! For good reason! The two of us... We've had our differences, but there's still one thing we have in common: We want to save Elsa! We were both chosen to protect her and I believe that has meaning. So please... Let's go get her back together! We'll _fight_ together! Let me out of here and I'll show you where you need to go!”  
  
There was a long moment of silence, though Hans could swear he saw Olly utter a squeak against what would've been Marshmallow's ear. Then, finally, the golem turned and raised a hand to the top of ice dome. Hans waited with bated breath, wondering whether Marshmallow would be able to _lift_ the barrier. It was a question which was never quite answered, as icy claws shot into being, shattering the dome into pieces.  
  
Sitron neighed in alarm and Hans covered his own head with both arms to stave off a shower of freezing shards. Luckily, they were perfectly harmless.  
  
Shaking the last few remains out of his hair and off his shoulders, he looked up at Marshmallow with a smile that was, at last, _genuine_. “Thank you,” he said.  
  
But Marshmallow wasted no time on sentiment. He picked up Hans's fallen sword and held it out between two enormous fingers like it was no more than a toothpick. “We go save Elsa,” he stated firmly.  
  
Hans glanced in the direction the bandits had chosen, then back to the ice palace. There was, perhaps, one more weapon to fetch before hunting down their opponents.  
  
\---------  
  
If there was one thing the bandits couldn't possibly have expected, it was for their camp to be stormed by a whole horde of snow creatures. The Snowgies swept over the place like a tidal wave, destroying tents, extinguishing fires and confiscating weapons as they went. Some of them even ate the food that had been tucked away in a storage tent. Much as the panicked criminals- a group of perhaps fifteen individuals in all- attempted to fight back, it was no good. Snowgies would not melt when hit with flaming arrows, they would not stop moving after being impaled, they did not understand pleas for mercy... There was no army quite like it.  
  
Hans watched from a safe distance, Marshmallow by his side. The two of them shared a similar delight in watching the bandits run for cover.  
  
Ultimately, only one of the fiends was left standing, shaking knees and all. His fellows had already fled the scene. One deep, ground-quaking roar from Marshmallow was all it took for the bandit to drop his weapon and turn tail. That too was satisfying to watch.  
  
Before long, Elsa's unconscious form had been located and brought forward by the Snowgies. Her hands had been tied behind her back with so much rope, she couldn't possibly have used her magic even if she _had_ been awake. Even so, she was unharmed and for that, Hans was more grateful than anything. Whatever drug the bandits had struck her with must've been substantial, as she barely stirred when touched. They returned to the ice palace as they waited for her to recover, because even if the cold wind didn't bother Elsa, it nipped at Hans's skin just fine.  
  
Another hour must've passed before at last, the Queen of Arendelle's eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Immediately, a whole swarm of concerned Snowgies moved over to her side, _surrounding_ her and squeaking loudly. She raised a hand to her head, then sat up straight. Discomfort made way for hazy confusion. “What...?” she asked.  
  
A hasty glance was thrown Hans's way, only to be overshadowed by several Snowgies leaping into Elsa's lap. They were all fighting for her attention, as well as perhaps a confirmation that she was alright. It brought a tired smile to her face and she succeeded in patting some of them on the head. That sight brought a bit more relief to Hans as well.  
  
Marshmallow was the first to stomp towards her, some of the Snowgies bouncing out of his way. “Elsaaa...!” he cried out. He helped her to her feet and while it was with a bit of an unsteady wobble, she stood upright all the same. A few seconds after, Elsa had thrown her arms around the big snow guardian to embrace him. It didn't seem as if she needed his support, though. If anything, it must've been a show of affection and gratitude.  
  
It wasn't until Hans had closed the distance as well that Elsa moved herself away from Marshmallow's immense body. There was genuine concern on her features; she must've remembered just what had happened before she lost consciousness.  
  
“Are you alright?” she asked him.  
  
Despite the lingering throbs in his aching head, he managed a reassuring smile. “Of course. I have you to thank for that.”  
  
“What happened? How did you...?”  
  
“Well, you were right when you said that Marshmallow and the Snowgies are your people as well. As it turns out, you have an entire army out here, all willing to fight for your safety.”  
  
Elsa cast an amazed stare from Marshmallow's proud smirk to the ecstatic Snowgies still swarming around near her feet. “You... You all came to save me? Really?”  
  
The Snowgies chittered and jeered. A few of them even kicked at the air or knocked their fellows to the ground. They were quite feisty. Olly was perhaps the loudest of them all.  
  
“Hans came to get us,” said Marshmallow, and while his voice was as deep a rumble as always, it sounded almost endeared somehow.  
  
“Oh, well, yes,” Hans admitted, not sure why his name had been dragged into this. “But it wasn't as if I did much of the work. Marshmallow is the real hero. He's the one who broke me out of that ice dome. And Olly's the one who went to get _him_ , so...”  
  
“Nooo no. Hans did _good_ ,” Marshmallow insisted. He slapped a big hand to Hans's shoulder and while it was a nice gesture of comradery, the force of it did cause a bit of a stumble.  
  
Elsa looked back and forth between the two of them, a look of amusement on her face. “Well, thank you. _Both_ of you. … No, _all_ of you.”  
  
The Snowgies cheered again. Marshmallow made a noise that sounded similar to laughter. Hans felt his own face relax into soft, pleased relief as well. It was good to know they'd all gotten through this not only unharmed, but perhaps a bit stronger than before.  
  
There were a few more minutes of hectic celebration, but the real kicker didn't occur until Elsa took him by the arm and led him to the side. While Hans expected she had something quite serious on her mind, the air around her was still lighthearted enough to imply there wasn't any bad news in store for him.  
  
“You did very well to turn to Marshmallow and the Snowgies for aid,” she began. “It's only confirmed what I already suspected about your leadership skills. If this is what you can do with a group of Snowgies at your command, imagine what you could do with Arendelle's own people.”  
  
“O-Oh!” Hans felt his cheeks flush. “No! It was nothing, really. As I said, I didn't really do any-”  
  
Elsa silenced him with a single hand and a continued smile. “I believe that it's high time I offer you a promotion to lieutenant within the royal guard.”  
  
 _Lieutenant_... The weight of the title seemed to smack Hans across the face, which really did nothing to alleviate his headache. It overwhelmed him and for that brief moment, he thought of how great it would be to accept it. The rest of the royal guard would love it; they already thought very highly of Hans's judgment. Anna and Kristoff would be so proud of him.  
  
 _Anna and Kristoff_...  
  
Just like that, his thoughts diverted into more sober territory and he knew it wasn't meant to be. He shook his head and while he felt ungrateful, he objected all the same. “I'm sorry. Honored as I am, I'm afraid I can't accept this promotion,” he said.  
  
“Why not?” Elsa asked, frowning.  
  
“Because... Because I intend to propose to Anna again. And to Kristoff. Very soon, even. Should they accept, everything will change. If all goes well, I'll receive the title of consort and from that moment on, my priority would be to support the royal family as a _husband_ , not a soldier. Much as I would want to, I couldn't possibly go off to... to fight bandits or to lead Arendelle's army in battle.” Hans paused for a few seconds, then fixed Elsa with a strained, sheepish grin. “... Assuming that I have your blessing this time.”  
  
Elsa was silent for one long, flustered moment. Then she placed a hand on Hans's shoulder, beaming. “ _Of course_ you have my blessing. I already know that you would make my sister the happiest girl in the world. You _and_ Kristoff. It _is_ a shame that you would have to sever your ties with the royal guard when that day comes, but... You're right. Anna would hate to lose one of her husbands to battle, just as I would hate to lose a brother-in-law.”  
  
Hans started; he'd never heard Elsa use the term brother-in-law before. Was that how she saw him now? Remembering just how leery she'd been of him less than three years ago, this more recent view allowed him to feel lighter than air. So light, even, that he was worried he might float up to the ice palace's ceiling. No such thing happened, of course.  
  
“... Thank you, Elsa,” he said. There was another long pause, then he turned his gaze back to Marshmallow. “If you truly want to reward someone for today's rescue, I know a certain snow golem who deserves due credit.”  
  
Elsa laughed, though it was a quiet, discreet sound. She was as composed as ever. “You know, you're right. I think I might give him a nice, shiny medal to match his tiara.”  
  
And now Hans was laughing too. What with how horrible the day had been before, he was relieved things could still turn out this great. He felt like he could return to Arendelle truly unhampered- that was, up until Elsa sent a very jarring request his way.  
  
“Anna doesn't need to know about what's happened.”  
  
At first, Hans thought he might not have heard correctly. Elsa's sober expression and piercing eyes told a whole other story, though. Now uncomfortable, he shuffled his feet. “... I'm sorry, I don't... understand. I thought you share everything with Anna.”  
  
“I don't want to worry her,” was Elsa's immediate response. In fact, it came so fast that it had either been on her mind for a while already, or it was an excuse.  
  
“You don't believe this incident was reason to worry?” he asked.  
  
“I believe... it was the sort of incident that won't repeat itself. Not many have the gall to attack the Queen of Arendelle and even less would succeed. But Anna... She won't see it that way.” Elsa trailed off and hung her head, her usually graceful features straining. “She'll want to stay by my side even more and I... I love her for that. I love that she cares so much. But sometimes I fear she might forget to live her _own_ life. Does that make sense?”  
  
Hans swallowed thickly. He'd only just gotten Elsa's blessing and already, he was putting her patience to the test. He couldn't just agree to this without a fight, though. “I'm afraid that I must respectfully disagree. Keeping secrets from Anna doesn't sit well with me. I don't believe it should sit well with you, either.”  
  
“Hans... You truly are a good, loyal person. I'm glad that my sister found someone like you. But I still don't believe telling her is the right thing to do. I want Anna to go through life without a care in the world, and I know you want that too. Now, I could _order_ you not to say a word, but I really don't want to do that. That's why I'm asking you this as a friend. Please, will you keep it a secret?”  
  
All of Elsa's words sank in like something heavy being dropped into water from a great height. It was nothing more than a torrent of justification. Still, he thought of what he'd just said only a minute or two ago. He'd turned down a promotion because he didn't want Anna- or Kristoff- to worry. To take unnecessary risks or walk willingly into battle would cause his loved ones far too much pain, and already, he could imagine the look on Anna's face if he were to do so anyway. It would've been a similar look if they were to tell her about today's incident.  
  
It still didn't mean that Elsa was correct, but he could understand her point of view. All of that didn't matter, though; she'd already made her choice.  
  
“... Alright.”  
  
\---------  
  
Dinner had gone without a hitch. Kristoff didn't know why he'd been worried, really. The moment he'd entered the room and laid eyes on Anna, all apprehension had ebbed away. It'd been only the two of them and their delicious meal. He hadn't fumbled with his fork, he hadn't spilled soup all down his front, he hadn't accidentally knocked over any candles... He really was getting better at this. Anna had laughed a few times and Kristoff thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. They'd even shared a couple of sweet, passionate kisses. Perfect.  
  
It wasn't until dessert had been made to disappear that a sort of tension began to set in. Tension that only grew as time went on.  
  
Anna started throwing glances out the window, into the courtyard, and Kristoff found himself following her lead. Had Hans and Elsa mentioned when they'd return? It didn't seem like it. Surely, they'd be back before nightfall. That would've been common sense, after all. But then... Maybe it was wrong to apply common sense to an impulsive prince prone to accidents and a magic-wielding queen who tended to get lost in her own world.  
  
Who exactly had decided it'd been a good idea to let those two go off into the mountains on their own?  
  
By the time nine o'clock had come and gone, both Anna and Kristoff found themselves sitting on the castle bridge, just outside the gates. The sun was definitely beginning to set now, casting an orange glow over the ocean. Olaf, who'd been very good at keeping his distance that evening, was now sitting alongside them.  
  
“... Do you think we should send out a search party?” Anna asked.  
  
“No, well... You know how they are,” Kristoff replied, hoping to convince himself just as much as he was convincing Anna. “Elsa probably got distracted doing her ice magic and Hans is too polite to remind her they should be getting a move on.”  
  
“ _Maybe_ ,” Anna said slowly. If that wasn't already enough evidence that she had doubts, it was the way she kept tapping her heel against the bricks below her. She chewed her bottom lip, played with a lock of her hair, then finally said: “But if I _do_ send out a search party, nobody will say anything against it, right? Because I'm the substitute queen!”  
  
Kristoff hesitated for a moment, then took hold of Anna's hand. When she looked up at him, he shot a reassuring smile her way. “They're _fine_.”  
  
One more minute passed, then two... Then Kristoff lost track of the exact amount of minutes until at last, a duo of familiar horses, along with a duo of a familiar _riders_ , appeared on the edge of the marketplace. Anna was on her feet immediately, running to greet them. Olaf, who wasn't quite as fast, hopped along a short distance behind her. As for Kristoff, he took his time closing the distance, telling himself over and over that he'd been right not to be _too_ concerned.  
  
It was fine. Everything was fine.  
  
While Anna showered her sister with most of her attention and Olaf doubled that sentiment, Kristoff decided to welcome _Hans_ home instead. The prince was already slipping down from Sitron's back, and while the movement wasn't as graceful as usual, Kristoff supposed that several hours of riding were to blame. It wasn't until Hans turned to face him that a bigger reason for concern was born.  
  
“Hey Kris-”  
  
“What happened to your _head_?” Kristoff cut across the warm greeting immediately, because he wasn't about to act like nothing was wrong. A red gash, surrounded by fresh bruising, was lined along Hans's temple. There were a few crimson stains on his collar and cloak too, just barely visible in the gray fabric. It was blood.  
  
Hans went from all smiles to a pained expression. “I was hoping you wouldn't notice.”  
  
“You didn't answer my question.”  
  
“Well, I... It's a little embarrassing.”  
  
“ _Hans_.”  
  
Kristoff made a grab for Hans's hand, only for it to be jerked out of his hold as soon as he touched it. Coupling that with the flinch that'd shot across Hans's face, Kristoff knew enough. He made a second grab for the hand, his aim this time focused on removing the glove that covered it. Sure enough, he managed to pinch the fabric between his thumb and index finger, allowing for a swift tug. Hans made a loud, startled sound. While there was an attempt to hide it, Kristoff noted that the back of his hand- particularly around the knuckles- was bruised.  
  
“What _happened_?” Kristoff tried again, more forcefully this time. It was already maddening that Hans had gotten hurt, but it was even _more_ maddening that he was trying to hide it. Hadn't they already reached a point where they could share everything with each other?  
  
“I-I... It was just...”  
  
By now, the discussion had gotten the attention of the two sisters and their snowman. Anna was by their side within seconds to try and get a closer look at Hans's hand.  
  
As for Elsa, she remained on her horse, looking down at all of them with a wry smile. “It was my fault,” she said.  
  
“ _Your_...?” Anna repeated, stunned. Even Hans himself looked surprised by the words. Was that because Elsa was admitting to playing a part in whatever had happened? Kristoff found himself morbidly curious now.  
  
“I got a bit carried away playing with the Snowgies in the castle,” Elsa explained, her lips still curled upward in bittersweet sentiment. “One moment I was chasing after them, the next I had slipped across the floor. Hans made a very brave attempt to catch me before I hit the ground, but... Well, I'm sure you can guess how that ended.”  
  
Kristoff _could_ guess. He didn't think a fall to an icy floor would've caused that great an injury, but then, Elsa's castle was full of stairs and ornate spiky things. It was just like Hans to suffer all that damage in an attempt to protect someone else. When Kristoff closed his eyes, he could see the whole thing play out.  
  
Sure enough, Hans was laughing awkwardly. He made a snatch for the glove in Kristoff's hand and once he'd succeeded, he used it to cover up his bruised knuckles again. “Haha... It was worth a try.”  
  
“ _Wow_ Hans.” Olaf slapped a twiggy hand against the back of Hans's knee, which was the highest point of his body the little snowguy could reach. “I knew you took your job of royal guard seriously, but if you keep this up, we'll have to assign another guard to keep _you_ safe.”  
  
“No kidding! I'm coming _with_ you two next time!” Anna said immediately, taking hold of Hans's arm. “And Kristoff and Sven will come too. And _Olaf_ , probably. We'll all cushion the blows for each other- doesn't that sound perfect?”  
  
“Heh... I would hate for _you_ to get hurt.” Hans's words, along with his smile, were mostly directed at Anna. Even so, a quick glimpse was shot Kristoff's way to ensure the sentiment would reach _him_ too. Not that saying it out loud was even necessary; it was such a typically _Hans_ line of thinking that Kristoff had already known about it.  
  
Funnily enough, the response that he would've given was voiced aloud by _Anna_. “Oh please. You know me! I'll be fine! Now come on, let's have Birger take a look at your head.”  
  
Anna and Hans began to stride through the castle gates, into the courtyard, leading Sitron along by the reins. Olaf, once again as cheerful as ever, hopped on after them. Kristoff made to follow, only to realize that someone was left behind on the bridge. He turned his head to see that Elsa, still on horseback, was peering out towards the fjord. There were distant mountains to be seen, with their high cliffsides flanking the water from both sides. Beyond that, Kristoff was sure, lay the Dark Sea.  
  
He remembered Kai's story about Queen Iduna and found it ironic that Elsa was taking in that exact same view her mother would get lost in.  
  
“ _Your Majesty_ ,” he said in a very poor imitation of Kai's voice.  
  
Elsa started out of her thoughts and for a few seconds, seemed genuinely embarrassed. Then she realized the royal steward was nowhere in sight and chuckled. “It's illegal to play pranks on your queen, you know,” she pointed out.  
  
“It's not illegal to play pranks on _family_ ,” he rebuffed.  
  
“... I can't argue _that_ point.”  
  
It was nice, Kristoff thought vaguely, that Elsa had admitted to seeing him as family. There really wouldn't be any problems at all if he were to marry Anna, were there? He'd have to start looking for a good ring soon. _Two_ of them, even, because if he was going to propose to Anna, he'd have to propose to Hans too.  
  
Together with Elsa, he entered the castle.  
  
  
 **To Be Continued**


	28. Some Things Never Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, we're moving into the long-awaited Frozen 2 plotline!

\---------

_“Are you telling me tonight you're gonna get down on one knee?”_

_“Yeah, but I'm really bad at planning these things out. Like candlelight and pulling of rings out.”_

_“Maybe you should leave all the romantic stuff to me.”_

\---------

The first thing to meet Hans's gaze when he pried open his bedroom curtains was an overwhelming amount of orange, with some red hues here and there. It felt like this year, all the trees of Arendelle were taking extra care to make their leaves as vivid as possible before they would inevitably hit the ground. Added to that, the distant sunrise bathed the houses below in some additional orange. It was beautiful. He spent a few long moments taking it all in before finally whirling round again.

Olly was watching him closely from atop the bedside cabinet, his little head quirked and eyes keen with anticipation. Hans knew exactly what he was waiting for.

“It's a big day today, Olly,” he said, striding across the room to close the distance again. A drawer was pulled open, revealing a modest assortment of bandanas. “So what do you think? Yellow with orange tufts?”

Hans held the bandana in question up, only for the Snowgie to recoil. Right, that might've clashed with his _own_ outfit.

He had no idea what Elsa would be wearing today and he hadn't seen Anna's new gown yet with his own eyes, but he knew it'd been made to fit a beige color scheme. As for Kristoff, he'd probably be wearing something modest and brown again. That was why Hans had decided to match those two notions. Black trousers, a sepia cravat, knee-high brown boots... While his waistcoat was technically a dark beige, this particular shade reminded him of toffee. A knee-length jacket of dark goldenrod was still draped over a chair, ready to complete the ensemble and fend off any chilly breezes.

The big harvest festival was going to take place tonight and already, all of Arendelle was bustling with preparations. He couldn't wait to get out there and join the cheerful faces, but not before helping Olly become his most dapper self.

“What abooout... Purple and gold to match the flags?” he suggested, peeling that particular bandana out from the bottom of the drawer. It wasn't a _perfect_ match, as the flags out in the street were half purple, half red, emblazoned with a golden wheat-like symbol, but it was close enough.

Olly squeaked quietly and shook his head again.

Hans grinned mischievously. “You can always go in the nude. That's what _Olaf_ does.”

Another indignant squeak. Apparently sick of Hans's suggestions, Olly leaped from the cabinet into the drawer. Several more bandanas went flying, hitting the floor with such unceremonious flaps that Hans knew he'd have to refold them all later. Not that he minded. A bit of scuffling later, Olly emerged victorious. Dangling from his mouth was a display of very light lavender, tiny blue snowflakes dotted along the fabric.

“You want to wear _that_ to a harvest festival?” Hans asked, torn between amusement and surprise.

Olly squeaked in confirmation, the sound muffled by the bandana in his mouth.

“Well, alright. I can't tell you what to wear. You'll look adorable either way.”

True to his words, Hans carefully tied the bandana around Olly's neck. A noise of delight later, the little Snowgie hopped down to the ground and scooted over to the door. They were going to meet everyone in the breakfast hall and though they weren't running late at all, Hans couldn't fault Olly for his eagerness to get down there. He snatched up his jacket and just before leaving the room, he slipped a little something into his pocket for good luck.

As was often the case, Hans was the first to arrive for breakfast. While he could've easily had some food delivered already, he instead waited patiently for the others. As was also often the case, Elsa was the next person to step through the door, with Olaf in tow. Much as Hans hated to admit it to himself, being in her close vicinity wasn't quite as welcome as it had been. Not telling Anna about the bandit attack out in the mountains still weighed heavily on him, despite the four months that had passed since. Elsa seemed to have no problems at all with keeping secrets, which really just made Hans feel worse about it all.

But he'd promised not to say a word about it, so he had no choice but to stick with it.

As always, he wished her a polite good morning and received the same sentiment in return. As always, Olly dashed towards Olaf with far more audible cheer and a far more heartfelt reply of the gesture. Elsa had finally cracked the mystery of permafrost last week; Hans had no idea how she'd done it. Her answer of it just 'coming to her' one morning was about as vague as could be. Either way, he was happy for Olaf, who now finally got to enjoy heat in all its splendor.

Once the two newcomers had taken their seat, a tense silence fell. It came as a relief when at last, Kristoff walked through the door, offering a more substantial distraction. He was wearing exactly what Hans had expected him to and so, their outfits for the day did indeed match just fine. Kristoff might've noticed that same thing, because he looked a bit flustered when he caught Hans's eye. When he took his seat, it was in a very silent, timid sort of way.

And still, no one started to eat. Not until Anna came dashing into the hall ten minutes later. Breakfast hardly ever began on time, but even so, Anna apologized profusely. She wasn't wearing her new dress, Hans noted, and he wondered whether she was worried about ruining it with stains. If so, that was very sensible of her. It wouldn't be the first time she got jam or cream on her. Knowing it was the same for him, he began to roll up the sleeves of his shirt.

Kristoff, who'd grown more used to keeping his food limited to his plate as opposed to scattering bits of it all over the place, wasn't in too much danger of ruining his attire, Hans knew. As for Olaf, he kept throwing cakes up into the air, catching them in his mouth without fail every single time. It was very impressive. Some might consider it a waste to give food to a snowman who didn't _need_ to eat, but the joy it brought Olaf was enough of a reason. The same went for Olly, who didn't have the arms necessary to take hold of his food and instead preferred to _inhale_ cookies straight off their plate.

Against all odds, the one who ate in the most hectic of manners today wasn't any of them; it was _Elsa_. While usually a very poised and slow eater, now she was buttering her bread with extreme haste and taking such large bites that even Kristoff raised an eyebrow at her.

Anna snickered under her breath. “Calm _down_ , Elsa. You're almost as bad as Olly today.”

“I can't stay for too long,” Elsa said, wiping a few crumbs from the side of her mouth. “I need to address the dignitaries one more time before they leave Arendelle.”

“But once they _are_ gone, you'll have all the time you could want for the festival, right?” Anna asked hopefully.

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

“Speaking of the festival,” Hans interjected, nudging Anna with his elbow. “Will you get changed soon so we can head out as well?”

Anna blanched just a bit. Following that, a deep, indignant blush dawned on her pale cheeks. “I'm sorry, I can't. I already tore my new dress- in a way that was _totally_ not my fault, I'll have you know- and now I have to take it back the tailors. It might be a while 'till I'm ready to go.”

Well, that certainly explained a bit, Hans thought to himself. It was a little disappointing, but it would've been a lot less fun heading out into the festival together if they weren't a matching pair. He shook his head with a smile and turned to Kristoff instead. “How about you? Will _you_ accompany me into town?”

But much like Anna, Kristoff looked startled at the question. So much, even, that his flinching arm knocked over a jar of strawberry jam. After recoiling violently into the back of his seat, he quickly held out a hand to catch the jam before it could roll off the table and hit the floor. “O-Oh! Errr! Sorry, Hans,” he stammered loudly. “I can't. I've gotta go see the blacksmith- Just for a perfectly normal errand! So uh... I've gotta tend to that first.”

“Oh...” Hans replied, now even more disappointed.

“Don't worry, Hans!” Olaf cried out from across the table. “You can come with _me_! I'm going up to pumpkin hill with a blanket for some tanning. It might just be the last sunny day of the year, you know!”

Hans exchanged a glance with Olly, who looked very excited at the prospect of a good tan. “Alright,” he said to Olaf. “That sounds like fun.”

“But it's a little sad that we're all going off to do our own thing, isn't it?” Anna looked thoughtful, perhaps even a bit dismayed. Then she grinned and smacked a fist down on the table, causing a few dishes to rattle. “ _I know_! Tonight, after the feast, we'll all get together for game night!”

“ _Game night_!” Hans echoed, his earlier gloom disappearing to make way for delight. Game night was another one of those things he'd never gotten to experience in the Southern Isles, nor would he have _wanted_ to. Every single one of his brothers would've surely been a sore loser; even Lars. Luckily, most of his _new_ family was a good sport, and he wasn't just saying that because Anna and himself were the charades champion duo six months running.

Kristoff seemed a bit less excited at the suggestion, though. “ _Tonight_? _This_ tonight?”

“Yeah, sure! Why? Do you have other plans?” Anna asked him.

“Ahhh... No. No, game night sure is a good thing to do tonight...” he mumbled, though he didn't sound all that convincing. Hans thought it was odd, but Anna didn't seem to have noticed.

“Then, it's settled!” she decided. “You'll be there too, right Elsa?”

Elsa beamed down at her sister, even as she rose to her feet. “Of course. I would never miss a single game night with my family.”

Once the last remnants of breakfast had disappeared, they all went their separate ways for the morning, promising they would meet up again in the midst of the harvest festival.

\---------

“Tell me, you're older and thus all-knowing. Do you ever worry about the notion that nothing is permanent?”

Anna frowned. She wouldn't have expected a question like that to come from _Olaf_ , of all people. But then... Olaf really had been growing more poetic lately. Maybe the addition of permafrost made him feel more sophisticated? If it had taken a small epiphany for Elsa to finally figure out how to cover Olaf in a layer of protective frost, then that wisdom could've transferred to him too. … Or maybe it just came from all the books he'd been reading.

One thing was for sure; a question like that didn't have a place in _today_ of all days. She shot a quick glance to Hans, who was sitting on Olaf's other side and who looked just as uncomfortable as she did.

“Uuuhhh... No,” she replied.

“Not really,” she heard Hans say.

“Really?” Olaf asked, bewildered. “Wow, I can't wait 'till I'm aged like you, so I don't have to worry about important things.”

Anna's grimace turned to a more genuine smile at those words. _Aged_... She sure had grown a lot over the past few years, hadn't she? But more importantly than that, she'd grown _happier_. She laid herself down on the picnic blanket and took note of the beautiful blue sky looming overhead. Olaf dropped himself down right by her side and Hans did the same.

“That's not what I mean,” she said, rolling her head to peer at Olaf. “I don't worry because... Well, I have you, and Elsa, and Hans, and Kristoff, and Sven and the gates are open wide and... I'm not alone anymore.”

So she ended up explaining that despite all the minor changes in life, there were certain certainties to rely on. She took Olaf's hand and led him down the hill, into the cheerful hectics of the castle town. Hans was holding her other hand, adding to that wonderful feeling that some things could last forever. Food was being gathered, paintings were being painted, decorations were being strung up along the streets... The annual harvest festival, along with its feast, was another one of those certainties in life that was sure to continue for as long as time itself would allow.

Elsa was still in the castle, dealing with the visiting dignitaries, but Anna just _knew_ she'd be out in the celebrations as soon as she was able. As for Kristoff and Sven, she hadn't spotted them yet.

“And look, there's Oaken,” she said, pointing him out. “We can always count on him to sell us anything we need, even when we didn't know we needed it!”

“Yoohoo!” Oaken called when he spotted them, waving merrily.

“Yoohoo!” Anna, Hans and Olaf called back at him.

Hans leaned in a bit closer to Olaf as they walked on. “ _And_ we can always count on him to greet us with incredible enthusiasm. That's another one of those certainties Anna was talking about.”

“Sure, you _say_ always, but the concept of mortality negates that of eternity,” Olaf pointed out.

Anna exchanged another perplexed glance with Hans, then finally asked “what's that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, what happens when Oaken _dies_?”

That remark sure struck Anna like something heavy and spiky. And it'd been said so _casually_ , too! What kind of books had Olaf been reading? She'd have to take all of those away from him immediately. She cleared her throat awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

“I think...” Hans began with a soft smile, “ _once_ Oaken is old and gray and passes on, what will happen is that someone else will take over his shop. So it won't be Oaken selling us everything we need anymore, but that's alright. It's like when you start a fire in the fireplace at night. It won't be the same logs in there as the day before, but it'll still be a nice, warm fire all the same.”

“ _Right_!” Anna chimed in without delay. “Yes! _That_! Do you understand now, Olaf?”

Olaf rubbed at his chin, causing his head to slide from left to right on his shoulders a bit. “ _Maybe_. But what happens when currency becomes superfluous, bringing an end to capitalism and consumerism as we know it?”

“ _Uuuuuuhhhh_...” said Anna.

A few seconds passed, then Hans tugged at her arm quite suddenly. “ _Look_! There's _Kristoff_!” he cried out.

Sure enough, a bit further down the street, Kristoff was following Sven out a clothing store, a small package in one hand. Anna didn't even want to stop to think why he would've been inside a fancy shop that sold suits and dresses to begin with. There was no time for any of that. She grabbed Olaf by the hand again, pulling him along.

\---------

This was it. Tonight was the night. Kristoff was going to _propose_. A pair of rings had been so very present in his pocket throughout the day, it'd been just about all he could think about. In a way, it was a shame he'd planned to do this during the annual harvest festival, since he hadn't been able to enjoy the celebration at all. His mind would trick him into believing the rings were about to slip out and fall to the ground, or even be stolen from him, but no such thing had happened. Even now, as he was sitting on the couch with Anna by his side and Hans further down the line, the rings were secure in the pocket of his robe.

If it'd been up to Kristoff, charades wouldn't have been part of his proposal, but he couldn't possibly have shot down Anna's enthusiasm over game night.

After the initial warm up rounds, Olaf had declared a lightning round of boys against girls. Anna had immediately pointed out how unfair that was, as there were _four_ boys counting Olly and only two girls. As a result, _three_ teams had been formed; Anna and Elsa, Kristoff and Hans, then finally Olaf and Olly. Considering Hans and Anna were always the most in sync during charades, Kristoff couldn't help but be _relieved_ that they weren't on the same team for once. Maybe tonight, he finally stood a chance of winning. He sure managed to guess about three of Hans's words.

Much to everyone's surprise, the two snowmen got so many right answers in a row, they were perfectly poised to take the champion's crown from both Anna and Hans after their six month reign. Kristoff swallowed thickly, a look of disappointment had settled on Hans's face and Elsa got to her feet, as it was now _her_ turn.

“I don't think Olaf should get to rearrange,” Anna was grumbling under her breath. “Or interpret Olly's answers for us.”

“Aww, just let them have this. Besides, you haven't lost yet,” Hans told her delicately.

That much seemed to renew Anna's fighting spirit. She grinned and stretched out her fingers. “Right. Doesn't matter. This is gonna be a cinch. Two sisters, _one mind_.”

Much as Kristoff would've agreed that Anna and Elsa still stood a fighting chance, he was left eating those sentiments. By the end of their round, Anna hadn't scored a single word. Not that she could've been blamed for that; Elsa had done nothing but vaguely wave her hands in front of herself as if she were swimming. Following that, she'd turned her back on the group and stared out the window.

When all was said and done, Anna requested a rematch, only for Elsa to insist she was going to bed. She bid them all a good night and left the room rather abruptly. In a way, it was a bit jarring. But then, in a way, it was _perfect_. It wouldn't be long until he was all alone with Anna and Hans.

Maybe a bit _too_ alone.

“Yeah, Olly and me are tired too. From _winning_ , you know.” Olaf waddled up to the side of the couch, grabbing Kristoff's reindeer pal by the head to hug him. “And Sven promised to read us a bedtime story, didn't you Sven?”

“ _Did I_?” Kristoff asked in Sven's voice. Already, he could feel his stomach filling with a nasty, heavy, cold feeling. He'd counted on Sven to help him through this! Wait, was _he_ going to have to read the story in Sven's place? Was _everyone_ going to bed now?

But Olaf wasn't really listening. Olly had already jumped up on the reindeer's back and his older brother followed suit, babbling about how Sven always did the _best_ voices when he pretended to be Kristoff. That seemed a little backwards, somehow. Anna and Hans were still in the room, rounding up the stray papers. Kristoff could do nothing except wave the snowmen away with a distracted: “Uuummm, how about you guys... start without me?”

Sure enough, Olly and Olaf left the room, taking Kristoff's emotional support with them. Well, that was good, wasn't it? Anna and Hans were both still here. And now Olaf was out of his hair too. Right, yes, this was definitely perfect. He'd just have to pull himself together and make it the best moment he could possibly make it.

With Anna staring down at the papers on the floor and Hans following her lead, Kristoff knew he had only a few seconds to set the whole thing up. He tossed a few more logs into the fireplace, attempted to chew the leaf off a mint plant (-oh, eww, that wasn't mint at all), straightened his new ascot and reached into the pocket of his robe to retrieve the rings. He'd returned to standing behind Hans and Anna right as the latter turned her head a bit. She hadn't adjusted her gaze far enough to see the rings in Kristoff's hands, luckily.

“Did Elsa seem _weird_ to you?” she asked, addressing both Hans and Kristoff at the same time.

“She... seemed like Elsa,” Kristoff replied, hoping that would end the conversation, because he couldn't possibly allow anything to distract him from his goal. He cleared his throat and was about to sink to one knee when Hans spoke up, keeping the topic on Elsa anyway.

“Do you think something's wrong?” he asked. He placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, a look of concern on his face, and it immediately made Kristoff feel a bit bad for _not_ worrying about Elsa.

Was this bad timing? Should he call this whole thing off? Augh, where was _Sven_ when he needed him?!

“ _Maybe_. I just...” Anna sighed. “That last word, it really seemed to throw her. What was it?”

“I don't know,” Kristoff said in a high-pitched tone of voice. Then he cleared his throat again and quickly sank to his knee right behind Anna and Hans, because now that they were both peering down at the dropped charade prompts a second time, they'd be in for a marvelous surprise when they turned round. “I don't know,” he said again, in a deeper voice this time. “But-”

But they weren't listening. Anna had already dropped down to the floor to dig through the papers, muttering “no, no, _no_...” as she examined each one and tossed it aside.

“ _That_ one, maybe?” Hans pointed one out.

Anna made a snatch for it and read it aloud. “ _Ice_? Oh _come on_!”

Now obviously blinded by her indignation, Anna threw both her hands up in dismay. As she did so, she knocked into Kristoff and both rings went flying. He felt his stomach plummet and his heart skip. He _tried_ to catch the precious little trinkets, fumbling with the one meant for Anna in particular, only for it to roll away beneath the couch. Now in a panic, Kristoff dove after it.

“She couldn't act out _ice_?” Anna was saying behind him, still oblivious to what'd just happened. Just as Kristoff pulled his head out from under the couch, she placed a quick kiss on his lips. “I'd better go check on her.”

Kristoff blinked. He watched in stunned silence as Anna rose to her feet, pecked Hans on the mouth too and stormed across the room. There was a quick “thanks honeys, love you both” before she disappeared into the hallway and snapped the door shut behind herself.

“Love you too...” Kristoff mumbled quietly. He was so in shock that it took him a few seconds to process just how badly he'd messed up. That was it- the perfect opportunity- he'd _missed_ it! His fingers curled inward, clenching around the ring in his palm.

… The _one_ ring in his palm.

His stomach plummeting all over again, he started and whirled his head around. Right at that very second, Hans was bending down to pick something up from the ground. Something that sparkled in the light of the fireplace. “What's this...?” he asked.

“ _Don't_!” Kristoff leapt towards Hans, making a wild snatch for the ring. All he really accomplished, in the end, was to throw both his hands over Hans's own. While it blocked any further view of the item in question, it did mean that the ring was now clasped tightly between Hans's fingers, which in turn were covered by Kristoff's palms.

He should've thought this through a bit more.

“Kristoff... Is this...?” he heard Hans murmur in a low, delicate tone of voice.

Blushing furiously, Kristoff attempted to ease the ring out from between the tangle of fingers without giving too much of it away. Unfortunately, even as he slid it into his robe's pocket to join the one meant for Anna, he was hit with the fact that Hans had already seen it. “I-It's not!” he stammered, only to correct himself. “I mean- It _is_ , but not _now_! Because Anna's left! So... So forget that you saw it, alright?”

Much to his dismay, Hans wasn't about to forget, or even let it be. Instead, he sank down to his own knees in front of Kristoff, smiling wryly. “You were going to propose during _game night_?” he asked.

While Hans seemed amused by the notion, Kristoff felt like he was being patronized. Not that Hans was one to patronize- that was all inside his head. But he couldn't expect someone like _Hans Westergaard_ to understand what he was going through. This was the guy who'd proposed to Anna within a day of knowing her and had made it perfect. Hans was the _master_ of perfectly-timed romantic gestures.

“No! Because- It wasn't supposed to _be_ game night tonight! But that's what you all decided, so I... _Augh_ , it doesn't matter, because I screwed it up. This was my big chance and I blew it!”

For a long moment, Hans said nothing. He only managed a sort of sad, distant smile. Then, finally, he reached into his own pocket and retrieved something from there. When he held out his hand, Kristoff recoiled violently. There, lying in Hans's palm, were two rings; a big one and a smaller one. They looked pretty different from the ones in Kristoff's pocket, but their intent was obvious all the same.

Three deep breaths later, Kristoff relaxed himself back into a more comfortable stance. “Wait... You were going to propose tonight too?” he asked. Maybe he _wasn't_ so bad at picking the perfect evening after all.

“I don't really know,” Hans replied. “I've been carrying these around for a few months already.”

“A... A few months...?”

“Since June. Just before Anna's birthday. I meant to propose that day, but couldn't really find the right moment to pop the question.”

Kristoff was baffled. He remembered that day. There'd been _plenty_ of moments, hadn't there? During dinner, when they were sitting by the duck pond, when they were watching the stars in the evening... How could Hans not have taken _any_ of those opportunities? Even Kristoff would've considered it, had he had the rings back then. There was really only one explanation for it.

“Wait a second, _wait a second_. You're telling me that _you_ \- Prince Hans of the Southern Isles- are struggling to propose?”

Hans chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, though he looked a bit uncomfortable doing so. He slid the rings back into his pocket as he spoke. “Heh... What can I say? After what happened _last_ time, I suppose... I've lost my nerve just a bit. The words wouldn't really come out.”

“But this is _perfect_!” Kristoff exclaimed, smacking a fist into the palm of his other hand. Hans blinked, evidently lost, and Kristoff knew he had to explain. “Don't you see? We can propose _together_! With your charm and natural talent for romance, and my... My reckless courage to actually go through with it, I guess, we'll set up the perfect moment! There's no way we can fail if we combine our efforts!”

“I... I suppose that's true,” said Hans, but he still seemed a bit taken aback. “Then, you'd just need me to find the right moment and help set the mood?”

“Exactly! I _was_ going to leave that bit to Sven, but it makes more sense to have an actual expert take care of it, don't you think?”

Hans blushed a bit. “I wouldn't call myself an _expert_ at that sort of thing. Even sooo... Well, I can't exactly find a fault in the logic. And I certainly haven't gotten anywhere on my own.” A considerable pause, then Hans grinned and placed a hand on Kristoff's shoulder. “Let's do it. Let's plan a double proposal.”

“Great! Then, from this point on, you and me are a _team_! We're in this together, alright?”

“Alright!”

Kristoff laughed, in part with relief and in part because he should've thought to enlist Hans's help sooner. The evening hadn't led to disaster after all. As his knees were now beginning to ache, he gave Hans a quick kiss before pushing himself back to his feet.

“Is this why you had to visit the blacksmith this morning?” Hans asked him, following his lead.

“... Yeah. I asked them to make the rings last week.” Kristoff chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, feeling a bit lighter now that he could actually share that information with someone. “You wouldn't believe how much trouble it was to get your ring sizes. For _you_ in particular. For Anna, I could still borrow a ring from her jewelry box, but... Yeah. You don't have one of those. Guess I won't find out for sure if it'll fit until... you know.”

Hans nodded his head with a smile. Maybe he recognized the problem from his _own_ ring ventures. How he would've found out Kristoff's measurements sure was a mystery. Now that they both knew, it would've been so easy to just exchange rings real quick and be sure they were the exact right size, but that felt like breaking some sort of taboo. No, they could definitely not wear those rings until the engagements were official.

“Did you have to buy those rings yourself?” was Hans's next question. There was, quite likely, an underlying sentiment about Kristoff's personal budget versus how expensive the ring might've looked to Hans. If so, he was worrying for nothing.

“Not _really_?” Kristoff replied, waving a hand. “I found the gems myself, up in the mountains. The trolls helped dig them up for me, too. And... I dunno, I didn't pick them because they looked fancy, I picked them because they, well, they reminded me of you two.”

There was really no way around that. Kristoff had chosen an orange diamond for Anna's ring, as just looking at it brought up the most fond memories of her. The color was similar to her vibrant, beautiful orange hair, too. As for Hans's ring, it held a green gem that was reminiscent of his _eyes_. Kristoff hadn't quite recognized it, but the blacksmiths had identified it as diopside.

Hans cooed loudly. “Are you sure you aren't an expert on romance yourself? Because that sounds _way_ more sentimental than what I did. I simply asked the blacksmiths to forge me their best rings, worthy of the two most amazing people in Arendelle and from that point on, I didn't lift so much as a finger.”

“I think just specifying it's for two amazing people already makes it romantic,” said Kristoff, grinning. “But anyway... Do you think Anna will show herself again tonight?”

“Mmh, I doubt it. If Elsa's not feeling well, she'll stay by her side until morning.”

“Oh well.”

“Are you sleeping inside the castle tonight?”

The question didn't come as too much of a surprise; Kristoff had been alternating between the stables and his own room ever since the latter had been given to him. The fancy bed, the smell of the fireplace and even the feeling of freshly-laundered blankets still felt foreign to him. Even worse; he wasn't anywhere near Sven, who had remained in the stables from day one. Despite being closer to Anna and Hans, sleeping inside the castle felt _lonely_. He never backed down from a challenge, though. Some day soon, he would be sharing a bedroom with Anna and Hans. When that day came, he wanted to be _ready_.

“I think so, yeah,” he replied.

“Then, do you want to join me in _my_ room for the night?” Hans asked. While Kristoff started at how forward the question was, the withheld demeanor on Hans's own face told him he was overreacting. The offer wasn't anything too cheeky.

“Oh, err.”

“We can brainstorm about the best way to propose. I already had a few ideas that I can run by you.”

Kristoff chewed the inside of his cheek. It still felt a little off to be joining a soon-to-be-engaged prince in his bedroom, but then again... Hans had dozed off by Kristoff's side in the stables a few times before. It was all about being comfortable in each other's presence. And hadn't Anna spent the night (sound asleep) in Hans's bed a few times before, too? Really, this wasn't any different.

“Sure, let's go.”

**To Be Continued**


	29. Into the Unknown

\---------

_“I've had my adventure, I don't need something new. I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you... Into the unknown!”_

\---------

Hans wasn't sure what had awoken him. All he knew was that one moment, he'd still been in a deep slumber and the next, something had started him into awareness. Had it been a voice? A few seconds passed as he attempted to catch his breath and rub some sleep from his eyes, then he heard a completely different sound: snoring. Frowning, he turned his head to face a head of light blond hair. … Right. Kristoff was spending the night in his room. Hans smiled lightly, then realized the deep, rumbling snores couldn't possibly have been the source of the disturbance.

Had he only dreamed it?

Shrugging, he fluffed up his pillow and made himself comfortable, only for a curious, distant sound to reach his ears again. This time, he could make it out. Someone outside the castle was singing, but there were no words to it. This melody was nothing more than a few stray notes, raising higher and higher, enticing Hans's curiosity as if it was being uttered by a siren. He knew that voice.

Elsa?

Careful not to wake Kristoff, who was still sleeping through the disturbance, Hans slipped out from beneath the blankets and walked over to the balcony doors, which were nearly entirely made out of glass. A moment of hesitation, then he opened the doors, stepped through and immediately closed them again. He couldn't risk the cold seeping into the comfort of the bedroom.

Walking to the balcony's edge, his eyes narrowed as he tried to scan the castle's surroundings. Elsa was still singing, now uttering the same notes over and over in a haunting call. Considering just how the voice was able to reach him, she had to be outside somewhere, on solid ground, but she couldn't possibly have gone too far. Finally, he spotted a lone silhouette running up a cliffside, following a bright blue light that could only have stemmed from magic- Her _own_ magic? It must've been, right?

For a second, Hans held his breath in fear, because it looked as if she wouldn't stop in time and plummet right into the fjord. Elsa managed to come to a sliding stop just in time though, using a slope of ice to extend her path a bit further. As she did so, she extended a hand towards the glimmer of blue light, which faded into nothingness. Whatever it was she'd been chasing, she'd failed to catch it.

That was weird.

And it was still nothing compared to what came next. While it was difficult to make out from such a great distance, he was sure he could see Elsa drop both of her arms listlessly and there was a flash of light as her magic seemed to _explode_ out of her. Hans reflexively shielded his eyes against it and when he lowered his hand, he witnessed the most curious sight. _Crystals_. Hundreds- no, _thousands_ of them hung frozen in midair all around the kingdom. They were up high in the sky, they were down low near the ground, they were out by the fjord and they were right in front of his face. Their light blue surfaces reflected the light of the moon and allowed them to sparkle. They were beautiful.

“ _Kristoff_!” he called, not caring at all anymore about disrupting the man's slumber. “Kristoff! Come out here! Come and see!”

The snoring had halted, only to be replaced by a “go back to sleep, Hans!”

“No! _You_... You _stop_ sleeping! Come and take a look at these crystals!”

“These what...?”

Tearing his eyes away from the gorgeous little trinkets for a moment, Hans looked back through the balcony doors to see that Kristoff was indeed clambering out of bed now, approaching the window with a wide-eyed stare. Already, that was perfect; it meant Hans wasn't just dreaming these things up. If Kristoff could see them too, they _had_ to be real.

The balcony doors opened a second time and Kristoff stepped outside, ducking his head to avoid touching one of the crystals. He looked quite cautious about it all, though Hans couldn't for the life of him imagine why anyone would need to be wary. It was just another bit of marvelous magic from Elsa.

“What is...?” Kristoff asked quietly.

“I don't know, but I'm going to take one,” Hans replied, extending a hand towards one of the crystals.

“Whoah- Hans, no! You don't know what these things are!”

“They're beautiful, is what they are.”

“Don't touch anything, Hans! Don't you _dare_!”

But Hans wasn't listening. He proceeded with his attempt to nab a few of the crystals. They could be put to good use in the proposal for sure! Just as his fingertips touched down on the surface of the nearest crystal, a low rumble echoed across Arendelle, sounding an awful lot like thunder. Immediately after, there was a great flash of light, originating from a place far away, past the cliffs surrounding the Arenfjord; perhaps even across the ocean. While it had indeed stuck to the sky, it couldn't possibly have been lightning. The crystals fell from the sky and Hans recoiled as they shattered on the ground before him- behind him- _all around_.

“Aaaah, _now_ look what you've done!” he heard Kristoff cry out. “I _told_ you not to touch them!”

“I-I... I wasn't-” Hans tried to explain in a panic, but there was no time for any of that. Noise began to take to the air. There was hissing, there was the shattering of glass, even people screaming down in the town below as all the lanterns went out. Arendelle was now shrouded in darkness, left with nothing but the minimal light from the moon.

What was going on?

“Whah... We have to...” Kristoff began, but Hans beat him to the rest of the sentence.

“We have to get down there and help the townsfolk!”

\---------

Anna was feeling so many emotions all at once. She was angry, she was scared, she was worried, she was determined, she was running out of patience... Most of all, she _needed answers_.

Fire had disappeared from every single lantern, while water had stopped flowing and instead pulled away from their precious city. The cobblestone streets had quaked and risen up, forcing everyone towards the city limits much like waves forcing things to wash upon the shore. A ferocious, sharp wind had ripped flags off their poles and almost sent Olaf flying. Arendelle had needed to be evacuated and now _hundreds_ of people stood shivering on the cliffs just outside town, driven out of their own homes. Some were still in their pajamas, others had had just enough time to grab a coat or a decent pair of pants. It hurt Anna just _thinking_ about the helplessness they must've been feeling.

Olaf was keeping a few kids distracted by playing with them. Hans, Kristoff and Sven were busy handing out what few blankets they could salvage in the panic of the evacuation. Kai, Gerda, and everyone else from the castle staff were doing their best to keep the people calm. The royal guard stood all along the perimeter, though only a few of them were in uniform and even fewer were carrying weapons. Maybe they could chance sneaking back into the city to retrieve some more supplies later. That seemed unlikely, though; the ground would return to shaking ominously whenever someone set foot near the town. Anna knew this because she'd already tested it. Maybe they could get some supplies from Oaken's old trading post near North Mountain instead.

With the people being looked after, Anna knew exactly what her own mission was. She marched up to Elsa, who was keeping away from the rest of the crowd. She looked uncomfortable, maybe even a little _guilty_. If there was anyone who held answers, it would have to be _her_.

“Anna, I...” she said quietly when she saw her sister approach.

“What just _happened_?” Anna asked, and while she _tried_ not to be too pushy about it, she knew as soon as the words had left her mouth that it'd sounded like a demand rather than a question.

“I don't know...” Elsa's eyes shot from the many people surrounding them to the distant horizon, then finally to the ground. She wrapped her arms around her own chest, frowning. “This whole thing, it just feels...”

“... It feels _what_ , Elsa?”

But there was no reply. Elsa shook her head and turned around. She started to walk away from her own people, away from her loved ones, away from _Anna_. That was _so_ infuriating! Anna made to follow, because she wasn't about to let her stray too far. Luckily, any progress was halted when Hans stepped directly into Elsa's path of escape, causing her to freeze in her tracks and even take a step backwards. Olly was on his shoulder, while Kristoff and Sven were not too far behind him. They must've finished handing out the blankets already and were now fostering the same beliefs that Anna had; Elsa was the one to turn to.

“You know what's happening, don't you?” Hans asked. “Those floating crystals that showed up all around the town... Weren't you the one who created them?”

“Oh, well... Yes,” Elsa admitted quietly.

“Please, talk to us.”

“Yeah, what's family for if not this?” Kristoff added with a smile. “If Arendelle's in some sort of trouble, we should all work together to fix it.”

Anna stepped up to her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. While Elsa definitely stiffened in her hold, as she often tended to do, Anna would never relent. She tried a gentle squeeze next. “ _Please_ , Elsa. We're here for you.”

“It's... It's because...” Elsa fell silent for a moment, pressing her lips together. Then, finally, she drew in a deep breath and unveiled what was on her mind. “I've been hearing a voice.”

Anna was so baffled, she was left speechless. She wasn't the only one, either. Hans looked positively stunned and Sven's jaw had dropped.

“You've been hearing _voices_?” Kristoff asked, one eye narrowing.

“Not voices. _A_ voice.”

Kristoff frowned and while he might've intended his next words to be delicate, they came across as anything _but_. “Okay, but that's not really better. You do get how that's not really better, right?”

“I _know_ ,” Elsa replied, now look a bit frustrated. “It's been calling to me for _days_ now. Maybe even weeks. It's always the same song and I just... I want to make sense of it.”

Anna raised both her hands, because her brain was now catching up to the truth that'd been hidden from her all this time. “Back it up. You've been hearing a voice for _days_ and you didn't think to _tell_ me?”

“I didn't want to worry you.”

Elsa's gaze was still caught on the ground, refusing to meet Anna's own eyes, and it was _maddening_. “We made a promise not to shut each other out! What _else_ have you been hiding from me?!”

“Nothing!” was Elsa's immediate response, only for Hans to clear his throat very loudly. When Anna looked his way, though, he glanced up towards the sky as if he _hadn't_ just made a very suspicious sound. Olly squeaked sadly and nudged the side of Hans's neck.

“... _What_?” Anna asked. Silence followed, so she tried again, stepping right up to Hans to get the answer from _him_ , as she could tell now that Elsa wouldn't be the one to share whatever it was that she was missing. “Is there something else that I need to know about, _Hans_?”

Hans must've been fighting very hard to keep quiet. He blinked a few times, his innocent facade cracking bit by bit until at last, he couldn't stop himself from meeting Anna's eyes. “It's just... A few months ago, at the North Mountain...”

A few months ago... Was that when Hans had accompanied Elsa to the ice castle, and he'd returned to Arendelle with a bruised hand and nasty slash across his head? Already, hundreds of different possibilities were surging through Anna's head, each more horrible than the next. What _about_ that trip?!

Ultimately, Elsa admitted defeat and chose to finish the story. She was the one to place a hand on _Anna's_ shoulder this time, pulling her attention away from Hans and towards a rather solemn expression instead. “I'm sorry, Anna. We were attacked by bandits while we were out there. Hans teamed up with Marshmallow and the Snowgies to save me. Afterwards, I asked him not to tell you about what'd happened.”

And just like that, whatever faith Anna might've still had crumbled away. Something very dark and bitter washed over her, reminding her of how her life had been before Elsa's coronation. It was a sort of loneliness that stemmed from being pushed away and kept in the dark by her own family. In the past, she might have been defeated by it, but not anymore. Now, she knew how to _fight_.

“You told Hans to _lie_ for you?!” she shouted at Elsa, so furious she thought she might black out. Or maybe she'd kick something. Maybe Kristoff would need to hold her back.

Elsa said nothing. Hans, in turn, took a step closer to try and soothe the situation. “Please don't blame Elsa for that. She was only-”

But Anna wouldn't hear of it. Her mind was reeling and with every implication came another, causing the betrayal to cascade into something big and nasty. She turned her full fury to Hans instead. “You _lied_ to me! Elsa was attacked- _You_ were attacked! You both could've been _killed_ and you _LIED_ about it!”

Hans's face had fallen and now, he appeared to be struggling his way through his own justifications. “I-I... I just didn't want you to worry,” he stammered.

“ _Worry_?!” Anna echoed, outraged. “ _Yes_ , I'm worried! That's the whole _point_! Do you remember what the first thing was that _I_ did after Kristoff and I escaped from a bunch of bandits three years ago?”

Hans opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“I _told_ you about it!” Anna hollered, stomping her foot down. “Because that's what loved ones _do_! They _share_ trouble! Do you really think so little of me that you believe I wouldn't be able to handle a story like that?!”

And still, Hans said nothing. He turned on the spot and began to walk away, which was a response more aggravating than anything he could've ever put into words. Kristoff still made an attempt to stop him, but it failed miserably and within seconds, Hans had disappeared into the crowd. Some of the nearby Arendellians were horrified, but Anna ignored them. After all those promises of never shutting Anna out or deceiving her, _this_ was what their relationship had led them to?

“Fine then! _Leave_ , why don't you?!” she called after him. She huffed and held her head up high, tilting her nose towards the sky. Even so, she could see Kristoff shooting her a Look that implied she'd gone too far. Soon after, he'd become a part of the vast crowd too, chasing after Hans and leaving Anna to her stewing.

“And _you_ ,” she hissed towards Elsa. “Don't think you're off the hook for this, either.”

In response, Elsa chewed her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around herself even tighter. That was almost enough to have Anna forgive her. _Almost_. There was a long silence before at last, Elsa spoke up again. “I thought that... As long as you were happy and safe, it didn't matter. Seeing a smile on your face is the most important thing in the world to me. Being by your _side_ is the most important thing to me. We're a _family_ now and I just... I don't want my magic to be the reason we're divided again.”

Anna sighed. “Your magic's not the reason we're having this argument, Elsa. It's because you've been keeping _secrets_. Don't you see? Whatever it is that you're facing- whatever that voice wants from you... As long as we face it _together_ , we're still a family.”

In Anna's opinion, that had been a very solid argument. It was a little frustrating, then, that Elsa still didn't look convinced. From the hunched stance to the narrowed eyes, to the tension in her interlocked arms... She wasn't just uncomfortable, Anna realized, she was _scared_. Scared of what her magic might do and how much more damage it might deal to her people. Arendelle was a mess and despite the lack of intent, Elsa's special abilities were the cause of it all.

Shaking her head, Anna stepped over to her sister to pull her into a hug.

\---------

Kristoff had assumed that after the whole 'water disappearing, ground quaking' thing, the night couldn't possibly have gotten any worse. That gathering the castle town's entire population on a cliff in the autumn chill had been their rock bottom. He really should've known better than to assume anything. Now Anna had lost her temper with Elsa and Hans had simply _walked out_ on the argument. That was a bad sign, really. Hans was good at standing his ground whenever he felt he was right about something, which meant that in this particular instance, he must've felt he'd been in the _wrong_.

Kristoff would agree with that sentiment.

Still, rubbing salt in the wound or snapping at Hans wouldn't fix anything. Besides, Anna had already done enough of that. Now it was up to Kristoff to keep their group together. He pushed his way through the Arendellians, most of whom hadn't caught wind of the argument and were instead still busy fretting over their homes. Eventually, the crowd began to thin out, leaving the view more clear.

Hans was sitting a short distance away from it all, legs dangling over the side of the cliff as he looked out over the abandoned city below. There still wasn't a single light to be spotted down there. It felt like even the moon wasn't reflecting on the fjord's water as brightly as it usually would've. Olly had apparently jumped down from Hans's shoulder and was now situated in his lap.

It was good that Hans hadn't strayed too far from the group, Kristoff thought to himself as he closed the distance.

“... Hey,” he said quietly.

No response. Not even acknowledgment.

But Kristoff wasn't deterred. He shrugged his shoulders a bit and tried again. “Can I sit here?”

“... Sure,” Hans replied without looking up.

The moment Kristoff touched down on the ground, Olly leaped from Hans's lap into his own. Panic followed as Kristoff hastily closed both hands around the Snowgie. He'd only barely gotten comfortable, after all, stirring a fear that Olly might slide down his legs and off the cliff. Just because any of Elsa's snow creatures _would_ survive such a fall, it didn't mean they ought to suffer through it.

“Did you come to tell me that Anna was wrong to be upset with me?” Hans asked.

“No,” said Kristoff, who felt brutal honesty was the best route to take. “I _do_ think she was wrong to snap that badly, but she's right to be upset.”

“... Yes. She is.”

Kristoff sighed quietly, the tips of his fingers numbing against Olly's cold body. “To be honest, I'm a little angry too. You didn't just lie to Anna, you lied to _me_. For the same reasons, I'm sure, but a lie's a lie.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Listen, I'm sure Elsa used some very sound logic to convince you that it was the right thing to do. Because I know you wouldn't have lied _just_ because she asked you to. Some part of you had to think it was in everyone's best interest. But the thing is... Well, it seems like it's been bogging you down these past few months, right?”

The way Kristoff saw it, the lie _must've_ nagged at Hans at every turn. Not only had he seemed a little off ever since the return from the North Mountain, he hadn't been able to propose. A guilty conscience could do a lot to a person and someone like Hans, who was honest above all else, would've taken it especially badly. Looking at it like that, it was hard to be mad at him about what'd happened. Hans had already punished himself more than enough and so, Anna's anger felt like harsh overkill.

But then, knowing everything Anna had been through in the past and how strongly she felt about keeping her loved ones safe, they couldn't expect her _not_ to be angry.

Hans hummed quietly under his breath.

“Don't worry about it, alright? I forgive you, and I'm sure Anna will too. We just need to give her a little time to process it and remember how much she loves you. And how much you love her,” Kristoff pointed out. “Nothing's broken that can't be fixed. Remember, we're in this together now. Not just the double proposal, but everything else.”

“Thank you, Kristoff,” Hans said, smiling for the first time since the weird crystals appeared. It was a good sight.

Kristoff was silent for a moment, then asked a question that had been lingering in the back of his head for a few minutes already. “Hey... Did you really team up with Elsa's weird snow golem?”

Hans chuckled sheepishly. “Yes. Turns out, Marshmallow is a great ally to have. A whole army of Snowgies helps, too.”

“Wonder if we can use 'em to fight whatever it is we're up against this time.”

“I suppose only Elsa will know,” Hans remarked. With that, he scrambled himself away from the cliff's edge before standing up. “We ought to go back and try to talk to her again. She knows more about this situation than she's been letting on, I'm certain of that much.”

Nodding his head, Kristoff rose to his feet too. After handing Olly to Hans, he followed him back through the crowd of distraught Arendellians. They passed by Olaf, who was now wearing a kind of dress made with the remains of the peculiar crystals. The kids surrounding him were pressing even more of the crystals into his body. At least they were all keeping busy; not a single tear or look of dismay was to be seen on the kids' faces.

Finally, they reached Anna and Elsa again. It came as a relief to see that the two sisters were hugging, implying they'd made up again. Hans, who'd been leading the way, suddenly began to hang back and slowed to a stop behind Kristoff. Maybe he was right to be cautious. As soon as Anna realized they'd been approached, and by who, she threw a look Hans's way that could only be described as conflicted. It never boded well when that kind of emotion was haunting her. When she stepped back from Elsa, it was in a somewhat timid, utterly silent sort of way. With both Anna and Hans reacting that way, mending their relationship would be a difficult hurdle to jump.

They'd have to put that argument aside for now. There was a bigger problem to address and only one person who needed to speak up about it.

“Alright, let's try this again,” Kristoff told Elsa, holding out both his hands. “Sooo... You heard a _voice_. And sooomehooow that led to us having to evacuate our own homes. It feels like there's something in-between these two steps that you forgot to tell us.”

Elsa made a bit of a face before elaborating on just that. “I woke the magical spirits at the Enchanted Forest.”

For a second, Kristoff was sure he'd heard gibberish. He'd already steeled himself for a few possibilities, including the thought that maybe Elsa could control _more_ than just ice. But magical spirits? Enchanted forest? He didn't know what any of that meant, so why was Elsa talking about it like it was common knowledge?

“Okay, that is definitely not what what I thought you were gonna say,” Anna muttered, frowning. The way her eyes glazed over gave the impression she must've been thinking very hard about something. “... Wait, the Enchanted Forest? The one Father warned us about?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because of the voice... I know it sounds crazy... But I believe whoever is calling me is good.” Elsa finished the sentence with a mild smile, but it failed to convince.

“How can you say that?” Anna stretched an arm out towards the cliffside, beyond which the darkened castle town lay. “Look at our kingdom!”

“I know. It's just that my magic can feel it. … _I_ can feel it,” Elsa said with a certain note of finality to her voice, and that must've finally been enough to earn Anna's trust.

“Okay,” was her response.

“But wait,” Kristoff interjected hastily, as he now had a chance to cut into the conversation again. “What's the Enchanted Forest? What are magical spirits? Is Arendelle at _war_ with these things now?”

“I ah...” Elsa began, a bit lost for words or maybe even coherent thoughts. The trouble was, her attention was drawn elsewhere.

Something was rustling in the nearby bushes, far on the edge of where Arendelle's townfolk were gathered. Something- or _someone_ \- was hissing. Kristoff saw the gleam of many differently-colored crystals through the undergrowth. It was the trolls. Why had they come all the way down from the Valley of the Living Rock? Had they sensed something was amiss, maybe? Whatever the reason was, they must've rolled downhill faster than they'd ever rolled in their lives.

After exchanging a few glances, the group stepped towards the trolls, into the bushes where the casual observer couldn't spot them. Anna and Elsa had _meant_ to slowly introduce the people of Arendelle to the mountain trolls, but after learning what they had about Flemmingrad's fate, they knew they had to take it slow. Even with Elsa's word that the trolls were perfectly harmless, and the castle town's intimate knowledge of their queen's magic powers, one couldn't exactly expect people to mingle with beings of myth overnight. They couldn't expect the _trolls_ to mingle that easily, either. The part of the tribe who'd been brought in from the other side of the Black Mountains was standing even further back; further away from the crowd of townsfolk, which sure said a lot about how much they were willing to trust humans at this point.

But Kristoff was a special case, as always. Before he'd even properly braced himself, Bulda had already jumped into his arms with a loud “ _Kristoooff_ , we missed you!” While he felt himself sag under her weight- his back in particular objecting with a dull ache- he held her all the same.

All the trolls instantly crowded around them, speaking in low murmurs and nudging each other with their elbows. As for Grand Pabbie, he rolled himself right up to Elsa and Anna to address them.

“Well... Never a dull moment with you two,” he said. “I hope you're prepared for what you have done, Elsa. Angry magical spirits are not for the faint of heart.”

“Wait, _why_ are you saying that like you've dealt with angry magical spirits before?” Kristoff demanded, setting Bulda down on the ground again. Ufortunately, he never got his answer.

“Why are they still angry?” Anna asked with a note of urgency. “What does this all of this have to do with Arendelle?”

“Let me see what I can see.”

Pabbie raised his hands, invoking a magical vision. Its colors shone brightly against the dark night sky. Kristoff had a bit of trouble understanding just what he was looking at. Some kind of high, enormous dam...? People shaking hands, then clubs clashing with swords...

“The past is not what it seems,” Pabbie elaborated as the visions went on. It didn't explain anything, in Kristoff's opinion. “A wrong demands to be righted. Arendelle is not safe. The truth must be found. Without it... I see no future.”

Anna took a step towards Pabbie, looking concerned. “No future?” she repeated.

“When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing,” said Pabbie.

“The next right thing...” Elsa began, turning away and idly tugging at her braid, “is for me to go to the Enchanted Forest and find that voice. Kristoff, can I borrow your wagon? And Sven?”

“I'm not very comfortable with the idea of that,” he replied, a bit jarred that she would even ask such a thing of him.

“You are not going alone.” Anna stepped right up to her sister to look her square in the eyes. Elsa didn't seem like she would let go of her bad idea that easily, though.

“Anna, no. I have my powers to protect me, you don't,” she said. Kristoff felt his stomach sink, because he knew that was a stupid thing to say even _before_ he saw the indignation rise to Anna's face.

“ _Excuse_ me! I climbed to the North Mountain, survived a frozen heart, learned how to wield a sword, saved a population of trolls, traveled to the Southern Isles to put up with Hans's family, made peace with Weselton... And I did it all without powers. So, you know, I'm coming.”

Kristoff walked up to Anna to place a hand on her shoulder, because he knew she would need even more backup to wear Elsa down. “Me too. I'll drive.”

“I'll bring the snacks!” Olaf called from behind them. When on Earth he'd separated himself from the pack of kids and joined their secret conversation, Kristoff had no idea. He also knew better than to question it.

“We're coming as well,” said Hans. Olly, who was still being held with two hands, squeaked in agreement.

“Oh, but... What about our people? We can't just leave them behind without someone to watch over them...” Anna remarked. As she did so, she threw a quick glance towards Hans. It was hard to say whether she was wondering if he would volunteer to do it, or whether she was _willing_ him to volunteer. If it was that second option, Kristoff couldn't help but be affronted. Sure, Hans was a good leader, but he was also a part of their team.

Either way, Hans locked eyes with Anna and his features strained a bit. It didn't seem like he was going to volunteer, though.

“ _Kai_ can do it,” Kristoff said hastily. “He's not the royal steward for nothing, you know. He can use the royal guard and the castle staff to help everyone feel safe. And Pabbie and the trolls can keep an eye on the people too. From the shadows, I mean. If they see trouble, they can report to Kai about it.”

Because even if the people of Arendelle hadn't been officially introduced to the trolls yet, that didn't mean the most trusted members of the royal staff weren't. Kai had already been taken to the Valley of the Living Rock, along with Gerda and a few others. Their reaction had been a startled one, but overall positive. It really boded well for future interactions between humans and trolls, Kristoff thought.

“Oh. Yeah... That makes sense,” Anna replied quietly.

“Let's find Kai and let the people know,” Elsa declared, looking towards Hans.

At first glance, it wasn't all that off for her to ask _Hans_ for help. He _had_ , after all, guided the people of Arendelle during the crisis three years ago. They trusted him, they listened to him, maybe even felt safer knowing he was supporting their queen. Even so, there was something of an awkward silence. Hans glanced towards Anna, who crinkled her nose at him. With that, he shook his head and stepped towards Elsa. Together, the two of them headed back to the clearing to find Kai.

Kristoff considered speaking up about it, then thought better of himself. This was something Anna and Hans needed to talk through, but now was not the time to have that conversation. For that reason, the opportune moment came and went. Anna turned away, her attention back on the trolls. She looked quite troubled. Maybe the consideration of lecturing her about reconciling with Hans had been wrong either way. He should've been putting his energy into cheering her up, he realized with a start. Before he had a chance to do so, he felt a tug at his pants leg and looked down to see Gothi standing there. There was a wide grin on the troll's face.

“So Kristoooff,” Gothi began in a sing-song voice, “have you proposed yet? Because the preparations for the wedding-”

“ _Ssshhh_!” Kristoff dropped himself into a crouching position, slapping a hand over Gothi's mouth. “No...! No, I haven't asked yet, so please don't talk about it...!”

He cast a quick glance towards Anna to see whether she'd overheard, but as luck would have it, she was busy talking to Grand Pabbie. With the way she was leaning forward and whispering, it almost felt like they were making secret plans behind everyone's backs. It probably wasn't anything that extreme, though. Knowing Pabbie, he was offering some wisdom and telling Anna to be careful.

What was waiting for them, out there in the unknown?

“Soooo... Is no one going to tell me what this Enchanted Forest is, or where to find it?” he asked no one in particular.

**To Be Continued**


	30. When I Am Older

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays, everybody!

\---------  
  
 _“This will all make sense when I am older. Someday I will see that this makes sense. One day when I'm old and wise, I'll think back and realize, that these were all completely normal events.”_  
  
\---------  
  
“I don't get it.”  
  
“What's there not to get?”  
  
“Uhhh... _Everything_?”  
  
“That's not helpful, Kristoff.”  
  
Kristoff shook his head in frustration- Hans could see it even from across the wagon. Truth be told, he was having the exact same problem of failing to grasp the story of the Enchanted Forest. The only difference was that he couldn't bring himself to speak up about it. He'd already caused Anna more than enough anger. Admitting that she wasn't making sense was sure to get her even more riled up. So instead, he focused his attention on the road ahead.  
  
Kristoff was seated in the front of the wagon, which was being pulled by Sven. Elsa, Anna and Olaf were seated in the back. As for Hans himself, he was bringing up the rear with Sitron. He could've easily taken a spot in the wagon too, but he felt safer bringing his own steed along on this adventure. There was no telling whether they might need to split up or go back to Arendelle for help in a hurry.  
  
“ _I'll_ explain it!” Olaf cried out, hopping up on the wagon's rear bench. “So these people called the Northuldra live in a place called the Enchanted Forest. Except that they're not _alone_ there. There's some magical elemental spirits who live there too, and the Northuldra could make use of their magic because they were in harmony with nature- oooor something. Still following so far? And then Arendelle tried to be their friend, and built them a _big_ ol' dam as a gift of peace! But apparently the Northuldra didn't _like_ that gift, because the next second there was a whooole lotta fighting! Pshew! Clang! And then King Runeard, who was Elsa's and Anna's grandpa, fell off a cliff and he's probably dead. And then young Prince Agnarr, who was Elsa's and Anna's _father_ \- except not yet because he was still a kid- got rescued by a mystery person and he managed to escape the fighting. Aaand then the whole Enchanted Forest got locked down and I guess the magical spirits went to sleep? Because Elsa just woke them up last night, you see. _The end_!”  
  
“No, see, I _got_ all that,” Kristoff said loudly, shaking his head again. “I just. Guh. First of all, what does _any_ of that have to do with a voice only Elsa can hear? Is the voice one of those spirits?”  
  
“Well, no. I don't believe so... They wouldn't have been able to call out to me while they were asleep,” Elsa pointed out. “Perhaps it's one of the inhabitants of the forest?”  
  
“But if the Northuldra can't use magic themselves, how could they call out to you?”  
  
“Uhhh.”  
  
“And _second_ of all, if your father knew about the existence of magical spirits and a magical forest all this time, wouldn't he have _told_ you? You know, since you're his daughter who could use magic but couldn't control it?”  
  
“But he _did_ tell us!” Anna rebuffed immediately. “We just... didn't know at the time that the story was real. But come to think of it, including the death of his own father _was_ kind of a harsh addition to a bedtime story. That should've maybe tipped us off.”  
  
Olaf tapped Kristoff on the back of the head, causing the man to flinch. “I think that it makes perfect sense that Elsa's dad knew about magic!” Olaf insisted cheerfully. “Because the Northuldra killed _his_ dad and almost killed _him_ , remember? With all those bad memories about magic and spirits, it's no wonder he wanted Elsa to hide her powers! Especially after she used it to hurt Anna, which probably only confirmed to him that magic is dangerous.”  
  
A long silence fell.  
  
“... Yeah...” Anna ultimately mumbled.  
  
“Fine, okay. I'll give you that one,” said Kristoff. “But here's another thing. If the spirits are stuck in a forest that's been locked down, how could they influence Arendelle like that the second they wake up? Feels like maybe our kingdom should've been outside their reach, don't you think?”  
  
“Uuuhhhhh...” said Elsa.  
  
“And who locked the forest down? If it put the spirits to sleep, that means it probably wasn't the spirits themselves, right? Because they wouldn't put _themselves_ into thirty years of hibernation. So is there some kind of bigger power we're not seeing? And why can _Elsa_ wake them up, when her power is to control ice? What's ice got to do with anything?”  
  
Olaf smacked his twiggy hand down on Kristoff's head again. “It's _magic_ , Kristoff! You've gotta stop _overthinking_ it!”  
  
“I just want to know what we're getting ourselves into, that's all...” Kristoff grumbled in turn. “These Northuldra people tried to wipe out Arendelle's royal family, so us going in there as, you know, _Arendelle's royal family_ is going to be dangerous. And not that we _shouldn't_ go, because we definitely need to find a way to get our people back inside their homes and get rid of the voice in Elsa's head, but maaaybe we should be more prepared?”  
  
“... Well now you're just being cynical,” Anna huffed at him.  
  
“Yeah! We're _perfectly_ prepared!” Olaf chimed in. “Elsa has amazingly powerful magic, Anna and Hans can wield swords, I'm _basically_ immortal, Sven's got huge sharp antlers and yooooouuu...” A long, thoughtful pause followed those words. Then, finally, Olaf patted Kristoff's head one last time. “Well, you can hide behind Anna and Hans! Maybe play some music for them while they fight.”  
  
“Wow, _excuse you_! I could fight if I wanted to fight!” Kristoff snapped angrily.  
  
“ _Can_ you, though?” Olaf asked him.  
  
Kristoff didn't respond. Hans suspect that he was scowling quite deeply, though he couldn't verify it from his position behind the wagon. Either way, he felt it was finally time to interject and save some of Kristoff's dignity. They were in this together, after all.  
  
“I think that, so long as we keep our heads down, _no one_ will have to fight,” Hans said. “We'll simply find that forest, first of all. Who knows? We may not even need to enter. The answer could very well lie outside it.”  
  
Elsa, Kristoff and Anna all made a very doubtful sound from the back of their throats.  
  
“Ah. Um. Well, supposing we _do_ need to enter, no one needs to know we're from Arendelle.”  
  
“Right! We'll be traveling merchants- no, _entertainers_!” Olaf clapped his hands together, looking positively delighted at the prospect. “I'll be _Trevor_ , the amazing juggler! I mean, I still don't know _how_ to juggle, but I'm sure I could learn before we arrive! And Hans, you can use Olly as a ventriloquist dummy! And-”  
  
Hans found himself quite relieved when Elsa cut through Olaf's words, so that they wouldn't need to find out what else the snowman had in mind for them. Ventriloquism was not exactly his forte. Besides, he doubted Olly could sit still long enough to be a convincing dummy.  
  
“I'm afraid not, Olaf. We need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible,” Elsa said.  
  
“Yeah! Besides, it's obvious _I_ would be the juggler in our group,” Anna added with a mischievous smile.  
  
“So we're going in all stealth-like?” Olaf concluded, his enthusiasm still not diminished in the slightest. “Oooh that's great! I'm the _best_ at not drawing attention to myself! Here, watch this.”  
  
With that said, Olaf stood still, arms stuck outward as if he were a perfectly inanimate snowman. That image failed to convince, though; it was clear to see, from the way his cheeks bulged, that he was holding his breath. About four seconds passed before the facade crumbled and Olaf drew in deep, loud, wheezing gasps. He laughed and struck a victorious pose.  
  
“See? How'd you like _dem_ apples?” he demanded, his expression so proud and hopeful that Hans didn't dare contradict it.  
  
“That was very good, Olaf,” said Elsa.  
  
The only one who wasn't quite willing to play along was Kristoff, who heaved such a deep sigh that Hans could see his shoulders raise, then drop into a violent slump. “Sometimes, I just don't _get_ you guys,” he ultimately said.  
  
Olaf chuckled under his breath. “That's okay, Kristoff! I don't always get it either. But when we're older and wiser, like Elsa and Anna and Hans, everything will make total sense!”  
  
Hans frowned. He, for one, still didn't have a clear idea of what was happening or _why_. Going by the uneasy glances exchanged between the two sisters, Anna and Elsa didn't have a grasp on that 'total sense' that Olaf had referred to either.  
  
They may have been dedicated to this new journey, but they certainly didn't _understand_ it.  
  
“I'm still sensing some tension here,” Olaf mused loudly, looking around the group. “Sooo... Who's into _trivia_?” he asked, and after yet another brief silence, continued with a vigorous “ _I_ am! Okay! Did you know that water has memory? True facts. It's disputed by many, but it's true.”  
  
Somehow, that statement made even less sense to Hans than the whole Enchanted Forest thing. But then, odd as it was, that brought him a sense of relief. There were even more complex, more seemingly insane things out there in the world. Or, well, there would've been if Olaf were right. It seemed unlikely. Accuracy didn't quite matter either way. The more absurd trivia Olaf listed off, from the frozen body of Arendelle's first ruler being buried in tunnels somewhere beneath the kingdom to men being more likely to be struck by lightning, the more at ease Hans began to feel.  
  
“Did you know that when you scramble the letters in Wandering Oaken's name, it spells Naked Norwegians?” Olaf pointed out after about two hours of traveling.  
  
“Nooo...!” Anna jeered immediately. “It doesn't- … Wait, _does_ it?”  
  
Hans couldn't quite figure it out without pen and paper either, but he assumed this was probably the first correct trivia tidbit Olaf had brought up all day.  
  
\---------  
  
The sun had long since set and now, _finally_ , they'd convinced Elsa to get some sleep. She was sprawled out in the back of the wagon, with Olaf resting by her side. Kristoff couldn't help but feel relieved when he cast a glance over his shoulder to verify that they were, indeed, asleep. After a full day of Olaf chattering useless trivia, the silence was more than welcome. It allowed for some time to think. The whole Enchanted Forest thing still hadn't sunk in. It might _never_ sink in.  
  
More importantly than that, Anna still hadn't talked things out with Hans. It was probably for that very same reason that Hans was now lagging so far behind the wagon with Sitron, he was out of earshot.  
  
This was no good. How were they ever going to propose while those two were still caught in an argument? The worst part was that despite them never having fought before, Kristoff knew them well enough to know exactly how this would go down. Hans was too hard on himself to take the first step and Anna held too much _pride_ to take the first step. If that was how it was going to be, Kristoff would have to be the one to patch things up. He couldn't _bear_ to see their relationship disrupted any longer and to be honest, he couldn't bear to stall the proposal that much longer either. The prospect was eating him up inside.  
  
“They're both asleep,” he told Anna, who'd taken a seat on the wagon's bench beside Kristoff after they'd stopped to stretch their legs about an hour ago. Now was the perfect opportunity to get her to see sense. If only his nerves would stop prickling at him. Bracing himself for what was to come, he sat himself up a bit straighter. “Listen, uh... We uh. We need to talk. About Hans.”  
  
Anna cast a quick glance over her shoulder, maybe to verify that Hans was indeed so far behind them he had no chance of overhearing. Or that Elsa and Olaf were both indeed out like a light. Then she looked up at Kristoff with a piercing stare. “So you agree, right? That we need to discuss Hans's betrayal?”  
  
“ _Betrayal_?” Kristoff echoed, taken aback. “That's uh... Kind of a big word to use there, isn't it?”  
  
Anna waved his doubts away, still looking riled up. “Sure. Fine. A lie, then. But it's maddening either way, isn't it? _Oooh_ , I can't _believe_ he'd side with _Elsa_ over us!”  
  
“I don't think that's what- I mean- Aren't you being a little too hard on him?” Kristoff stammered at her.  
  
“Aren't _you_ being too _soft_ on him?” Anna demanded in turn.  
  
“No, no, listen. I want you to think back to our first trip like this, when I said you'd have to be crazy to want to marry a man you'd just met.”  
  
It'd been a wonderful idea in Kristoff's head, really, to remind Anna of how she'd fallen for Hans head over heels. Love at first sight and all that. She couldn't possibly have held on to her anger when thinking back to how they'd connected right from the start, forming a relationship that would only grow stronger over time. Unfortunately, he'd chosen his words so badly that Anna instead honed in on the _one_ part of the sentence she should've ignored.  
  
“Wait, _what_? _Crazy_? You didn't say I was crazy.” While at first she'd been staring out over the countryside below the mountain, she now turned her head to face Kristoff again with a manic expression. “You think I'm _crazy_?!”  
  
“No, I did- You _were_ -”  
  
Sven made a very particular growling sound to cut Kristoff off. That was as good a course correction as any.  
  
“ _Not_ crazy, clearly...!” Feeling very much like a reindeer caught in the lanternlight of an approaching sled, Kristoff could do nothing but chuckle awkwardly to relieve some of the tension. “I meant to say, I learned a lot over the past three years about the both of you. So back then, I might've thought that Hans's actions were dangerous-”  
  
“So you think Hans is dangerous?” Anna raised an eyebrow at him. “Geez... It was just one lie, Kristoff.”  
  
“But _you_ were the one who-”  
  
“What if he _is_ , though?” Anna asked aloud, staring blankly at the path ahead. “What if it becomes a habit? What if he already knows more than he's letting on? I never thought he'd lie to me, but obviously he _can_ , so what else is he hiding? You're right, Kristoff. He _could_ be dangerous.”  
  
“No!” Kristoff hissed at her immediately, because he knew raising his voice would risk waking Elsa. Or worse, _Olaf_. He heard Sven groan in an exasperated manner in front of him, but ignored it. “No, no, _not_ dangerous. Not a liar. He just makes mistakes sometimes and now he's made a mistake with _us_ , so-”  
  
“Wait. You think him being with _us_ is a mistake?”  
  
Anna had gone from idle worry to alarm so fast, Kristoff was tempted to have Sven walk off the side of the cliff just to end this conversation. He really couldn't do anything right by himself, could he? It was time to call in support, then. Whirling round in his seat, he quickly began to wave to Hans's distant figure to get his attention. The gesture was picked up on just fine, as Sitron was sped up and within ten seconds, Hans was riding alongside the wagon. Anna looked positively _outraged_.  
  
“Did you need something?” Hans asked quietly.  
  
Kristoff chuckled again, though it was nothing more than a barely audible rumble. “Haaans, buddy, what are you doing all the way back there? Listen. I was just talking to Anna about the day I first met her. Remember? I used to think it was crazy to want to marry someone you'd just met, but-”  
  
Right then, four things happened in rapid succession. Hans's face fell. Kristoff cringed as he realized he'd once again used that exact same wording. Anna jammed her elbow into his chest. Sven snorted very loudly up ahead.  
  
“You... You thought we were _crazy_?” was Hans's meek reply.  
  
Kristoff's voice reached an all-time high pitch in his panic. “Not this again! No, no, I'm not saying you're crazy, or dangerous, I'm saying-”  
  
“Who said anything about dangerous?” Hans asked.  
  
Having Sven drive off the side of the cliff was wrong, Kristoff realized. If he just jumped out the wagon himself, there'd be far less damage. But that was a last resort he couldn't take just yet. His mind raced to find a comeback that wouldn't incriminate him, only to be distracted when Elsa spoke up behind him.  
  
“Kristoff, stop, please,” she said hurriedly.  
  
“Good idea,” Kristoff grumbled.  
  
“No, I hear it. I hear the voice.”  
  
Now understanding just what Elsa had meant, Kristoff tugged at the reins and the wagon slowed to a stop. Hans followed that same example. Elsa had already exited the vehicle before it'd even stopped moving, though. Now she was walking on ahead of them, towards a narrow slope not quite suitable for wagons. Anna jumped off the bench and roused Olaf from his slumber, then raced after her sister. Hans dismounted from Sitron and looked as if he were about to lead the horse down that very same slope as well, but Kristoff was still struggling to grasp just what was happening.  
  
“Wait, wait! What about the wagon?” he called after them.  
  
“Just leave it!” Anna shouted over her shoulder, still jogging after Elsa.  
  
“But-”  
  
“Come _on_ , Kristoff! Adventure awaits!” Olaf chimed in.  
  
Kristoff frowned and threw a glance towards Hans, who shrugged at him. Clearly, he was having some trouble following this turn of events too, but was more willing to roll with the punches. There was a moment of silence where Kristoff ran a hand along the wagon's smooth dash, with its ornate carvings and shiny finish. It wasn't a _sled_ , but it was a beauty all the same. How could he just leave it behind like this?  
  
“Would you prefer to try maneuvering it down the mountain?” Hans asked.  
  
“Of course not,” Kristoff huffed, knowing full well any attempt to do as Hans suggested would do more damage than good. “I just think it's a waste to leave a perfectly good wagon behind. Why'd we even bother bringing it, then?”  
  
“I'm sure we can come back for it later. It'd have to be one very lucky thief to come across it out here in the middle of nowhere.”  
  
“I suppose...”  
  
Hans smiled wryly. “Do you need some help freeing Sven from his harness, or am I too dangerous to be allowed anywhere near him?”  
  
“That's _not_ what I meant!” Kristoff snapped, his cheeks burning red. “... And yes, please help.”  
  
\---------  
  
The Enchanted Forest was both familiar and foreign. It was beautiful, but it was also eerie. Vivid autumn leaves stood out against a fine white mist. If that wasn't already enough to leave Anna breathless, it was one very important verification: The dam still stood. Grandfather's work hadn't been for nothing, she thought to herself. It had brought her a moment of relief, which was then soured by Kristoff remarking that if the dam were to ever break, it would wash away Arendelle.  
  
Right. They weren't here to do sightseeing. They were here to save Arendelle and to help Elsa.  
  
Just as Kristoff was about to suggest something about different circumstances and romance, Hans broke into the conversation quite roughly. Despite all earlier worries, Anna found herself thankful for that. The last thing she needed right now was to think about her own happiness. Not when everyone else's was at stake. So she hurried after Elsa, knowing the others would follow her. They went from one shocking discovery (some sort of wind spirit) to another (moments frozen in time, immortalized as statues) to one more dreadful realization.  
  
There were definitely still people trapped in the Enchanted Forest.  
  
Anna had already braced herself for the presence of other human beings. What she _hadn't_ expected was that some of her _own_ people were still trapped in the Enchanted Forest. They had come across Arendellian soldiers, without a doubt. There were only five of them that she could see. They certainly seemed to be getting on in age as well. How long ago had the incident happened, again? Over thirty years? Even so, one of the soldiers looked startlingly familiar, like a faded memory that hung in the back of Anna's mind like a fine mist. Who did he look like, again...?  
  
Maybe that didn't matter now. There weren't only Arendellian soldiers; there was an opposing tribe. Northuldra, Anna supposed. The two were clashing and now Anna, along with her own little group, was caught smack-dab in the middle of the encounter. Sharp wooden staffs were held on one side, swords and shields on the other. If it hadn't been for Elsa turning the ground to ice and tripping both factions up, everything would've escalated into a fight. Now all the strangers were left in awe by Elsa's magic. Olaf and Olly in particular caused a lot of gasps all around.  
  
Which meant they had some explaining to do.  
  
Olaf made his best attempt to word everything leading up to their current situation, even using Sven and Olly as props in his storytelling. Having those pivotal moments of her life re-enacted before her eyes was kind of embarrassing. Both the soldiers of Arendelle and the Northuldra seemed captivated, at least. From the death of her parents to the debacle during Elsa's coronation, Olaf covered all those things that didn't really _need_ to be said at the moment. The true moment of mortification didn't come until Olaf began to impersonate _Hans_ , though.  
  
“Here's a true love's kiss... -You're not worth it! Guess what? I'm the _bad guy_!” Olaf claimed savagely, pushing 'past Anna' away.  
  
In that one moment, Anna was thoroughly reminded of the betrayal she'd felt over three years ago. It hadn't been inside her heart for very long, as it'd been replaced by hope and perhaps a bit of _desperation_. Disbelief that Hans ever _could_ be a bad guy and belief that there was something at play she wasn't seeing. If she had refused to doubt Hans's integrity only a day after having met him, why was she doubting him now? A queasy feeling settling in her stomach, she watched Olaf continue his play.  
  
“Except I'm _not_ a bad guy, but more on that later! Anna _rushes_ out to find her sister! Woosh, _woosh_! Elsa, watch out!” Olaf dove towards Olly, sliding backwards with him and pretending to almost get flattened by an imaginary something. A broken ship, Anna knew from memory. Olaf then began to switch poses between Elsa and Anna, acting out one more conversation. “Why would you save me, Anna? -Because I _love_ you! And now I'm cured by warm, beautiful, _sisterly_ love!”  
  
The entire audience let out a delighted “aaawwww...!”  
  
“Now let's go see the magical rock troll creatures to see what's going on with Hans. Oh no, seems like _they're_ the bad guys, using some kind of weird mind control so Anna will end up with _Kristoff_ instead!”  
  
The entire audience gasped again and the familiar-looking man, who had gotten quite invested in the story so far, roared in outrage.  
  
“Oop, no, they're just misunderstood. Everyone's friends now! -Oh, and then Elsa woke up the magical spirits, and we were forced out from our kingdom. Now our only hope is to find the truth about the past, but we don't have a clue how to do that. Except Elsa's hearing voices, so we got that going for us. Any questions?”  
  
Olaf beamed proudly, jaws dropped and Anna was tempted to apologize for him. In the end, there was only stunned silence.  
  
“… I think they got it,” Olaf concluded.  
  
As everyone around them relaxed their postures, Elsa thawed the ice separating the groups. Anna, who had drawn her sword in self defense earlier, slid it back into its sheath. Behind her, she heard Hans do the same. The Arendellian soldiers, however, still held on to their own weapons and across from them the Northuldra were once again picking up their staffs.  
  
One man separated from the group to approach Elsa. It was the one who looked so _irritatingly_ familiar. “Are you really Queen of Arendelle?” he asked.  
  
“I am,” said Elsa.  
  
But the older woman speaking for the Northuldra was skeptical. Perhaps even _offended_. “Why would nature reward a person of Arendelle with magic?”  
  
“Perhaps to make up for the actions of your people,” said the familiar-looking man.  
  
“My people are innocent, we will have never attacked first.”  
  
“May the truth be found.”  
  
But Anna, who had stopped paying attention, stepped right up to the familiar man to frame his face between her fingers. Once he noticed, he recoiled and looked highly uncomfortable.  
  
“Hi, I'm sor-, uhhh, what's happening?” he asked.  
  
Seeing the rectangular frame around the man's face, the memory finally clicked inside Anna's head. “That's it! Lieutenant Mattias! Library, second portrait on the left. You were our father's official guard.”  
  
“ _Agnarr_...” Mattias said, confirming Anna's theory with both his words and the warmth in his eyes. But his bittersweet nostalgia could only last for so long, as he had heard Olaf mention a very particular something and must've known what it meant. “... What _did_ happen to your parents?” he asked.  
  
“Our parents' ship went down in the southern seas six years ago,” Anna explained. It was sad, really, that she had to greet their father's old friend with such tragic news.  
  
For a long moment, Mattias was silent. Then he forced a smile; something which indicated he had found a bright side to the darkness. “I see him. I see him in your faces.”  
  
“ _Really_?” Anna asked, excited. She had heard similar statements from Kai and other residents of Arendelle, but it never ceased to overwhelm her.  
  
“Soldiers,” Mattias called over his shoulder. Then he began to take a few more steps forward. “We maybe getting on in years, but we're still strong. Proud to serve Arendelle.”  
  
Within seconds, all the soldiers had rallied themselves around Anna and Elsa, weapons raised and shields proudly displaying the mark of Arendelle. The Northuldra cowered and raised their weapons in evident alarm. Kristoff, Hans, Sven, Sitron, Olaf and Olly were all left out of this little circle. Anna felt a little bad for them, but then, she knew this show of force was unnecessary. The whole point of this was to _stop_ the fighting.  
  
Elsa must've realized the same thing, as she stepped forward to get the Northuldra leader's attention. “Wait, please. Someone has called me here. If I can just find them, I believe they have the answers that may help us free this forest. Trust me, I just want to help.”  
  
And once again, the Northuldra leader's brow furrowed with wariness. “We _only_ trust nature,” she stated. “When nature speaks-”  
  
The remainder of that sentence wasn't uttered right away. All attention, all _caution_ was directed towards a nearby tree, which had burst into vivid purple flames. Anna had never seen fire quite like that before. Were it not for the warmth washing over her face, she might not even have believed that it _was_ fire. The heat was unmistakable, though. It was a bit scary. Going by the screams erupting around her, Anna wasn't the only one who thought so.  
  
Even the Northuldra elder was frozen in place, staring up at the burning branches high above her. “... We _listen_ ,” she said, horrified.  
  
  
 **To Be Continued**


	31. See the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never stop being disappointed that See the Sky was cut from the movie, so here's my little homage to it!

\---------  
  
 _“Use your power, hear our cry! You're our only hope to ever see the sky!”_  
  
\---------  
  
Chaos had never erupted quite so fast before. Where one moment there had been only one tree on fire, now there were at least six. Whatever had caused the flames seemed to be _bouncing_ from one spot to the next, setting fire to branches and leaves and anything else in its path. Hans was frozen with horror, his gaze caught on the eerie purple flames. Someone screamed the words “fire spirit” and that was enough to really have it click.  
  
This madness was _sentient_ and intent on doing harm.  
  
Someone shouted that they ought to head for the river, and while Hans had no idea just where this river was, he noted that everyone was now running _away_ from the fire. That was a good sign. Olly was leaving with Olaf and Mattias, which was even better.  
  
Hans jumped up onto Sitron's back and reared the horse round, keeping a close eye on the crowd to make sure no one was left behind. “Let's go, everyone! Quickly, now!” he called.  
  
Through the din, he heard someone shouting something about reindeer and a dead end. Trying to find the source of the dismay, he saw that Kristoff had jumped into action as well, riding Sven like a valiant steed. At the same time he came running up to Hans, Anna did the same.  
  
“What do we-” she began, but Kristoff cut her off.  
  
“I'll get the reindeer!” he stated. “Hans, you stick close to Anna! And Anna, you stick close to Hans. Keep each other safe!”  
  
Hans meant to object, but was given no time. Instead of protecting the _people_ , Kristoff was dashing off after a group of reindeer. Hans could never fault him for something like that. The people had already been given clear instructions on where to go, while the reindeer had gone off in the wrong direction. If those poor animals were to end up cornered, Kristoff would never forgive himself for doing nothing. Hans would feel awful too.  
  
He had to focus on his own task. Sitron was already taking a few anxious steps away from the fire, forcing Hans to pull the reins back. Peering down at Anna, he held a hand out to her. “Hop on! We'll meet up with Kristoff by the river when he gets there.”  
  
But Anna hesitated. She held her own hands to her chest, head whipping from left to right as she kept an eye on the fray behind him. “No! Where's- _Elsa_! Get out of there!”  
  
Hans looked over his shoulder to see that Elsa was indeed standing in the middle of the very danger they were meant to escape. She was surrounded by purple flames from all sides, attempting to douse them with her own magic, only for the fire spirit to escape the blows and cause even more havoc.  
  
“No no _no_...!” he heard Anna say frantically. The next second, she was attempting to run past Sitron, into the fire.  
  
And that was horrifying in its own way.  
  
Hans immediately went after her, leaning down as far as he could go to grab her by the arm. “Wait! You can't go in there!” he shouted, pulling her to a full stop again.  
  
When Anna looked up at him, it was with the dirtiest expression he'd ever seen on her face. His grip faltered and not even a second later, she'd pulled herself out of his hold. “ _Elsa_ is in there!” she snapped, not quite hysterical but beyond mere concern. “What makes you think I _wouldn't_ follow her?”  
  
“Kristoff said we need to stick together!” he argued, but it was a moot point.  
  
“Then come _with_ me! We need to save her!”  
  
“Anna, you're not thinking clearly. Elsa has her magic and-”  
  
“If you say I'm _powerless_ , Hans-”  
  
“ _No_! I- I didn't mean-”  
  
“If you won't help me save Elsa, then you're just _in my way_!”  
  
Those words were like a slap to the face. He was _in the way_? Was that what Anna thought of him now? Was he nothing more than an unnecessary addition to the group, holding everyone back? He blinked several times, then saw Anna running on ahead of him, through the fire. One hand was covering her mouth with her cloak, but it wasn't enough to stop the smoke that was surely invading her lungs at this very second. She staggered, avoided flames which erupted in front of her and ultimately fell to her knees.  
  
“ _Anna_!” called a familiar voice. Kristoff had returned and was on the other side of the turmoil, even as the group of reindeer stormed past it to head to safety.  
  
Elsa whirled around, apparently not even having realized just what her sister had been up to until now. She shot a blast of ice towards Anna, dousing most of the flames surrounding her. It allowed for just enough time for Kristoff and Sven to dash towards her. She was scooped up from the ground and into Kristoff's lap, with Sven carrying the both of them away from harm.  
  
“ _No_!” Anna cried out, stretching out an arm. “ _Elsa_!”  
  
Hans spent another few seconds watching Arendelle's queen, who was still pursuing a very dangerous spirit. He wondered whether he ought to live up to his duty and help her. But then... He'd already made this decision before, hadn't he? His duty wasn't to protect and serve the Queen of Arendelle, it was to be with Anna. Besides, there was nothing he could do to aid Elsa at this time. He'd probably just slow her down.  
  
So he turned Sitron round and had him chase after Sven.  
  
“What were you _doing_?” Kristoff demanded once he'd caught up. Anna was struggling to free herself from his hold, but she was no match for his big arms. “I told you two to stick together!”  
  
“I-I... I'm sorry,” Hans stammered.  
  
“You're the _worst_! The _both_ of you!” Anna snapped. “Are you just going to let Elsa _die_?!”  
  
“Elsa will be fine! It's _you_ who almost died!” Kristoff snapped right back at her. “Do you not see the hypocrisy here? You can't just run headfirst into danger like that!”  
  
“If you two would just _help_ me-”  
  
“We _are_ helping you, Anna. Trust me.”  
  
“No! You're supposed to be fighting by my side!”  
  
Kristoff sighed loudly. He pulled Sven to an abrupt stop and Hans did the same, coming to a halt not too far ahead of them. Anna was allowed to slip down from between Kristoff's arms, where she hit muddy forest ground with both feet.  
  
“Oof, what's the big-”  
  
“Do you believe in Elsa?” Kristoff asked her, his voice a low drone.  
  
Anna looked taken aback by the question. “What?”  
  
“Do you _believe_ in _Elsa_?”  
  
“Well, of course I do!”  
  
“Then, you'll believe that she can do this,” Kristoff stated. “You don't always need to save her, just like how _we_ don't always need to save _you_. I'm not saying we should abandon her, I'm only saying we should give her the freedom to follow her destiny.”  
  
Anna looked like she was choking on the very same air she was breathing. Hans worried that the smoke inhalation was still bothering her, but then... There was nothing quite as jarring as being put on the spot by Kristoff like that. With such a distraction, it took a while longer for them to notice that the fires in the distance were dying down. No, it was more than that; the flames were _vanishing_. Now the Northuldra and the few Arendellian soldiers were coming out of hiding again, wide eyes taking in the sudden peace.  
  
Elsa must've done exactly what Kristoff had believed she would do.  
  
There was no time to take in this small victory, though. Anna had whirled round and dashed off, towards where Elsa would surely be. Hans shot a furtive glance towards Kristoff, who shrugged in an exasperated manner.  
  
\---------  
  
“We are called Northuldra. We are... the people of the sun.”  
  
Anna's mind was still reeling from all that'd happened in the span of... ten minutes? Fifteen? An _hour_? Honestly, she hadn't had a moment's peace ever since the spirits first unleashed their anger on Arendelle. This new revelation, however, shed everything in a completely different light.  
  
Their father was the King of Arendelle and their mother? She'd belonged to one of the oldest Northuldra families. It made so little sense to Anna and yet, it explained _so much_. Their mother had been the one to save their father's life all those years ago. She'd grown up right here in this forest, she'd played with these very same spirits who were now causing trouble. She'd hidden her past, knowing exactly how Arendellians felt about Northuldra, but there was nothing to fear from these people. The Northuldra were kind and gentle.  
  
So how could they have started a war with Arendelle all those years ago? It didn't add up.  
  
Either way, it'd become all the more clear now. The situation within the Enchanted Forest was theirs to investigate further, not only to help the soldiers who had lost their freedom protecting their father, but to lend aid to those left behind by their mother. Anna and Elsa together, they were both destined to solve this puzzle. Unfortunately, Elsa was already going around taming magical beings left and right, running headfirst into fire to find the truth Pabbie had spoken of. And what was Anna doing? ...Nothing, because everyone was intent on keeping her away from the action.  
  
Sure, she had to believe in Elsa, but they were supposed to be doing this together. Magic or no magic, voices or no voices, they were both their parents' children.  
  
Even now, Elsa was lifting all the burdens onto her own shoulders. “I promise you, I will free this forest and restore Arendelle,” she told the Northuldra elder.  
  
Anna tried to meet her sister's eyes, but Elsa's gaze was already focused on Lieutenant Mattias, who had been standing just behind her. And it was worrying. Why would Elsa alone be the one to make that promise? Why wouldn't she just let Anna _help_?  
  
“That's a pretty big promise, Elsa,” she said loudly, reeling Elsa's attention back in.  
  
It didn't last, though. The people around them were already buzzing with excitement. Both the Northuldra and the remaining soldiers of Arendelle seemed to have forgotten their earlier animosity and were now standing side by side. From the corner of her eye, Anna saw Kristoff shaking hands with a young Northuldra man- they really seemed to be hitting it off. A bit further away, Hans was talking to one of the Arendellian soldiers, perhaps assuring him that he'd be back home soon.  
  
The weight was _really_ piling on, now.  
  
“I heard the voice again,” Elsa stated. “We need to go north.”  
  
 _Finally_ , Anna thought bitterly, there was a “we” instead of “I”.  
  
A young Northuldra woman stepped forward immediately, looking concerned. “But the earth giants now roam the north at night,” she said.  
  
The Northuldra elder cut right in front of Anna, placing a hand on Elsa's shoulder to lead her away. “You can leave in the morning.”  
  
And with that, Elsa was already being guided on ahead, presumably to the Northuldra camp. Everyone else seemed to be headed in that direction as well. Anna felt a bit silly, having to trot after her sister like that. Luckily, she wasn't completely forgotten. Lieutenant Mattias made sure to stick by her left side, while the younger Northuldra woman swooped in from the right.  
  
“My name is Honeymaren,” was the swift, somewhat timid introduction.  
  
“Honeymaren...” Smiling, Anna took hold of the woman's wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze. She didn't want to raise hopes the way Elsa did, but she couldn't exactly leave someone in distress either. That was why she opted for a safe middle ground of reassurance. “We'll do all we can,” she said.  
  
But by her other side, Mattias chuckled under his breath. “Surely, Her Highness is only being modest.”  
  
“Modest?” Anna asked.  
  
“All those ordeals from the story your snowman friend told- A frozen heart, ice palaces, mind control curses cast by rock trolls... Freeing this forest must be a piece of cake for you after all that.”  
  
“Oh, yes.” Honeymaren nodded and placed her free hand atop Anna's. “I must admit, I'm a bit envious of your adventures. I've never even seen anything beyond this forest.”  
  
Anna swallowed thickly. She'd always been proud of the challenges she'd overcome. They'd made her stronger, she thought. What she _hadn't_ realized was just how much people would come to look up to a hero, and how much they would depend on her based solely on the stories. The truth of the matter was that despite overcoming every single one of those ordeals, someone had almost _died_ at least once. This was why Elsa had avoided the lure of the voice for so long, she realized.  
  
“Well, you see, those adventures were not without-” she tried to say, only for Mattias to cut across her.  
  
“Please understand the hope you bring. We've been stuck here for over thirty years already, trapped in the land of our enemy.” Mattias shot a wry smile Honeymaren's way. “No offense.”  
  
“Of course,” said Honeymaren.  
  
“On that day the fighting broke out and the forest was sealed, everything changed so very drastically. We could not return to our homes, nor could we build new ones here. We were soldiers with nothing left to fight for but our own principles and a hope that one day, justice would be served. Many of our companions lost their lives in the battle, even more died as time went on. But we held fast, believing that some day, our people might come back for us.”  
  
“O-Oh... I...” Anna stammered awkwardly. Guilt was overwhelming her now, for she had never considered that anyone from Arendelle was still alive after the clash with the Northuldra. If it hadn't been for Elsa's mysterious voice, no one would ever have come back for Mattias or any of his soldiers.  
  
“Elders tell us that the forest _changed_ that day,” Honeymaren chimed in. “Before the fighting broke out and this mysterious mist appeared, my people lived here in harmony with the spirits. But I have never known peace, nor have I met a friendly spirit even once. Harsh winds tear through our tents, fires ravage the trees, the earth giants dominate the main river... Things have not been easy for _anyone_ in here.”  
  
“I... I'm sorry to hear that,” said Anna, now even more overwhelmed by the tragedy left in the wake of Arendelle's fight with the Northuldra.  
  
“We spent a long time at each other's throats, enduring clash after clash. However, the more time passed, the more we realized that our words and weapons did no good. Fighting would not lift the curse. So we tried to get along, but...”  
  
Honeymaren shook her head. “As I recall, it didn't stick.”  
  
“It did not,” Mattias confirmed.  
  
“Yelena has always insisted that nature wields an iron fist- that the presence of those bloodthirsty warriors of Arendelle was to blame for the spirits' anger. … No offense.”  
  
“None taken,” said Mattias.  
  
“But what if that isn't true? What if there _is_ something else that's sealed our fates? This whole thing feels like a riddle we never quite understood, and then _you_ appeared.” Honeymaren shook Anna's hand in an excited manner. “Queen Elsa- she tamed a wild fire spirit like it was nothing! And the wind as well! Her powers are unlike anything I've ever seen. She must be a gift sent by nature to save us, don't you think?”  
  
“Well, I-” Anna began, only to once again be cut off.  
  
The young man Kristoff had been speaking to earlier had just caught up to them, grabbing Honeymaren's other arm. “Sis! That Kristoff fellow was an _ice harvester_! He sold big blocks of ice for a living, can you believe that? I wanna do that when _I_ get out of here! Just travel the world with a sled and some reindeer, and-”  
  
“Calm down, Ryder,” said Honeymaren, evidently fighting the urge not to laugh. “Let's take this one step at a time, alright? Before you can see the world, you should see the land outside the forest. The mountains, the plains and the sky.”  
  
“Aaah, I can't _wait_ to see the sky!” Ryder exclaimed, grabbing his sister and shaking her roughly before whirling round again and dashing back to where Kristoff was.  
  
Honeymaren managed a sound that was halfway between a giggle and a snort. She dipped her head and finally eased herself out of Anna's hold. “Excuse me, I need to go keep my brother out of trouble,” she announced. And with that, she walked off, leaving Anna alone with Lieutenant Mattias.  
  
All at once, the mood became a lot more sober again.  
  
“I really am sorry,” Anna said after a long silence. “I can't even imagine how difficult it must've been for you. For _all_ of you.”  
  
“That's alright.”  
  
“Our grandfather...” Anna began quietly. “Did he really lose his life that day? Father told us the story once, but that was many years ago. I don't believe he ever confirmed Grandfather's fate with his own eyes- and it's probably best that he couldn't, but if _you_ all survived that battle, then...?”  
  
But Mattias shook his head, a glum expression on his face. “I'm sorry, Your Highness. In the midst of all the fighting, King Runeard was thrown off a cliffside, along with a Northuldra warrior. The fall was lethal for the both of them.”  
  
“Oh...” Anna hung her head, fingers curling around the fabric of her mother's scarf. She'd already known that the chances of Runeard's survival would've been very slim indeed. He would've been so _old_ if he'd still lived today. The knowledge hadn't squashed that small glimmer of hope, though. Not until now.  
  
“Every day since, I've wondered what would have happened if I'd protected _him_ instead of your father, knowing such questions could very well drive me to madness,” said Mattias. “Such is the fate of a soldier. Much as we try, we can't save everyone. But now that I've seen Agnarr's beautiful daughters, it's reminded me of a very important notion. All we can do is focus on those we _did_ save. There is still a bright future for Arendelle, as there is for all of us.”  
  
Anna cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Not too far behind, Kristoff was chatting with Ryder and Honeymaren, Sven in tow. Even further back was Hans, who was allowing the oldest, frailest Arendellian soldier to hitch a ride on Sitron. Spotting Olaf was a bit difficult, as he was surrounded by Northuldra children from all sides. And then, far ahead of them, leading the entire group, was Elsa.  
  
“That's very wise of you,” she said to Mattias.  
  
“We crafted a grave for King Runeard,” he continued. “As we did for all of our fallen comrades. It isn't quite fitting of royalty, but it's the best we could do under those circumstances.”  
  
“... I'd love to pay it a visit soon,” Anna said, her lips curling in the lightest of smiles. “I'm sure... Grandfather would like to see Elsa and myself too. He'd be proud of us for coming this far, wouldn't he?”  
  
Another smile dawned on Mattias's face. One so very warm, Anna didn't have a single doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth when he said: “King Runeard would adore the both of you.”  
  
A flustered laugh escaped Anna's mouth. Hearing a sentiment like that from one of her grandfather's most trusted men meant the whole world to her. Maybe, just _maybe_ , Elsa's big promise wasn't out of proportion after all.  
  
\---------  
  
They'd finally reached the Northuldra camp. Despite the hectic circumstances and the near-death experiences of the day, Kristoff couldn't help but find a bit of relief here. The place reminded him of the old Sami camp he'd lived in up until he came across the trolls. Sure, it was smaller and humbler, but the _atmosphere_ was the same. It also helped that they were surrounded by reindeer.  
  
He would've worried that Anna might do something drastic again, but there was no need. Elsa was sitting by a fire, speaking with Ryder's sister. Not a single trace of wayward magic or mysterious voices was to be found. Only an adorable baby reindeer, leaning up against Elsa's legs. _Anna_ , in turn, had finally calmed down and was now swapping stories with that Lieutenant Mattias guy. Good. Maybe a veteran soldier could talk some sense into her about assessing a situation before running in. Olaf was once again trying to engage in philosophical debates with little children, only to have them playing around with his limbs. That was all harmless fun, really.  
  
Which just left one other person.  
  
While Kristoff had hoped this _wouldn't_ be the case, Hans was standing pretty far away from most others. His attention was on removing some knots from Sitron's tail, while Olly was perched up on the horse's saddle. Kristoff hesitated for a moment, but Sven went up to Sitron without delay to greet him. At that point, any thought of giving Hans his space could be swept aside. Burying his hands in his pockets, he crossed the distance to join his hopefully-soon-to-be-fiancé.  
  
“Don't you want something to eat?” he asked.  
  
“No, I'm fine,” Hans replied quietly, his attention still on the matted locks of Sitron's tail, which he was holding in one hand.  
  
“Are you sure? The Northuldra made this amazing _stew_ that-”  
  
“ _Kristoff_.” His voice low and exhausted, Hans turned around to face him with a serious expression. “Do you think I should have stayed behind in Arendelle?”  
  
The question caused Kristoff to start. Following that, there was _worry_. He glanced up towards Olly, who made a rather sad face, then on to Sitron, who mirrored that sentiment further. “Of course not. Why would you ask me something like that?” was his counter.  
  
“Because... Because Anna doesn't want me here.” Hans glanced down towards the ground, looking very stricken. “She thinks I'm just getting in her way. And if that's how it is, maybe it would've been better if I'd stayed behind to help Kai and the trolls watch over the people of Arendelle. I mean, you and Anna managed to solve everything just fine three years ago, too. I'm not sure anyone would miss me if I were-”  
  
“ _Of course_ we'd miss you!” Kristoff cut across him. “ _I'd_ miss you, Sven would miss you, Olaf would miss you... Elsa and _Anna_ would miss you. You're a part of our team, Hans! Sure, Anna snapped at you, but she snaps at me all the time. She's just worried about her sister, that's all it is.”  
  
“... I know. Deep down, I _know_ that's what it is. I just don't know what to do about it. She's never been mad at me before,” Hans murmured.  
  
“It's just what happens when you do some of that healthy second-guessing I recommended to you. Don't worry, she'll come around.” Kristoff paused, then slung his arm around Hans's shoulder. “Look, if nothing else, _I'm_ really glad you're here. This whole situation is still confusing to me, and Anna's not any help there. But she's distracted right now! Maybe _this_ is the perfect moment to propose, what do you think?”  
  
Hans sidled himself out from underneath Kristoff's arm, fixing him with a stare. “You're... still planning the proposal? In the middle of _all this_?”  
  
“Ye-” Kristoff began, only to see Sven shaking his head _behind_ Hans. Apparently, he was on the wrong track again and had to find a way to correct himself, _fast_. “-eeeee... _Noooo_? Maybe? … I love you?”  
  
Much as Kristoff tried to bat his eyes and move his face into the sweetest, most innocent expression he could muster, it didn't work one bit. Hans slapped a hand to his own forehead, Olly giggled, Sven groaned and Sitron looked surprised at best.  
  
“ _Kristoff_...! We're stuck in a cursed forest with people who've been trapped here for over thirty four years already. The citizens of Arendelle are stranded out on the cliffs, Elsa's hearing voices and magical spirits are trying to _kill_ us. What are you _thinking_?”  
  
While at first, Kristoff was a bit dismayed that he'd once again managed to say the wrong things and this time get _Hans_ riled up, it turned to desperation soon after. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to be sure that Anna was still far away, talking to Mattias up on a distant hill, then turned his attention back to Hans. “I was _thinking_ that I want us all to stop arguing. The proposal will fix everything.”  
  
“ _Fix_ everything?!” Hans repeated, outraged. “The last time I proposed, Elsa covered her entire kingdom in a magical winter, people almost _died_ and your family took it so badly, they placed a curse on me that made me want to _kill Anna_...! So _forgive_ me if I don't think it's a good idea right now!”  
  
Kristoff blinked. He'd never heard Hans utter sentiments quite like that before. All these years, even whenever Kristoff had said that it was fine to be angry over what the trolls had done to him, Hans had never once said a bad word about it. Was this because of Olaf's little play? And did he really think that _he_ was responsible for what'd happened during Elsa's coronation? That was crazy! -No, not crazy. Kristoff couldn't use that word.  
  
“What are you talking about? None of that was your fault,” he said instead. “Things didn't escalate because you proposed, they escalated because... Well, because they were _meant_ to escalate. Because Elsa and Anna were both miserable and hadn't talked about it before then.”  
  
Hans shook his head roughly and turned away. “I'm sorry Kristoff, I just... I need to be alone for a while.”  
  
“ _Hans_... Please don't get mad at me. Things are already messy enough with _Anna_ , I don't think I can take any more arguments.”  
  
“I know, I... I'm not mad. I just need some time to get my thoughts in order.”  
  
Kristoff drew in a deep breath, then placed a hand on Hans's shoulder. “Alright. But you need to come to me if things get too difficult for you. We can try talking it over. Um. Assuming I don't say the wrong thing _again_.”  
  
“Alright,” Hans said stiffly, not meeting Kristoff's gaze one bit.  
  
“I do love you, you know.”  
  
“... I love you too.”  
  
Kristoff squeezed Hans's shoulder gently, then gestured for Sven to follow him and began to walk away. It was a pretty miserable turn of events, but then, maybe Hans was right for needing some time to think. And maybe he was right for saying that a proposal _wouldn't_ magically fix everything. If everyone's minds were on other things, why would they even bother to accept? Was Kristoff _this_ incredibly bad at reading the room?  
  
At least he wasn't the only one. Ryder came running up to him, full of excitement. “Hey Kristoff! I had another question about- … Hey, are you okay?”  
  
“Yeah... I'm fine,” Kristoff replied, continuing his walk with Ryder now trudging along by his side. He knew he could've left it at that, but there was something about this Northuldra guy that struck him as safe. Chummy. Ryder was like a more energetic, curious version of Kristoff when _he_ was younger. Because of that, Kristoff felt he could open up to him a bit more than other people. “It's just... It probably sounds ideal, having both a girlfriend and a boyfriend, but it's _not_. I just keep screwing everything up.”  
  
“Nooo, it can't possibly be _that_ bad,” Ryder said.  
  
“I just managed to get Hans to lose his temper. And it's almost _impossible_ to get him riled up, so that's saying something.”  
  
“Oh... Eesh.”  
  
“And Anna's just... Ugh. I get that she has other things on her mind right now. Really. I _do_. I just wish I could help her with that, but I can't seem to get her attention, or even say the right thing...”  
  
“Well, you're in luck!” Ryder announced with a grin. “I know _nothing_ about women, but I _do_ know that we have the most amazing way of proposing. If we start now, we'll be ready by dawn.”  
  
“Really?” Kristoff asked hopefully, only to remember what'd gotten Hans so riled up in the first place. He quickly waved both his hands. “I mean. _No_. A proposal won't fix the problem.”  
  
“Are you sure? It involves a _lot_ of reindeer...!” Ryder pointed out.  
  
For a moment, Kristoff was severely tempted. Then he quickly shook himself out of that stupor. “I'm sure. But reindeer themselves are never a bad thing!”  
  
“They sure aren't,” Ryder said with another grin. He took hold of Kristoff's arm, pulling him along. “Come on, I'll take you to see the rest of the herd. I'm sure they'll be _thrilled_ to meet you and Sven.”  
  
Kristoff looked back at Hans one last time, noting the way he was once again entirely focused on something as trivial as Sitron's tail. With that, he allowed Ryder to tug him away from the Northuldra camp, into the woods.  
  
  
 **To Be Continued**


	32. Lost in the Woods

\---------  
  
_“Up till now, the next step was a question of how. I never thought it was a question of whether. Who am I, if I'm not your guy? Where am I, if we're not together forever?”_  
  
\---------  
  
_Earth giants_.  
  
Anna hadn't thought too hard about that title before now. After discovering that the wind spirit was delightfully playful and the fire spirit turned out to be a cute little lizard, she'd severely underestimated just what else they might've been up against. As it turned out, the earth giants were as big as _mountains_. Built up entirely out of solid rock, one might've thought they were related to the trolls if they weren't so terribly _surly-looking_. Not only that; there were _several_ of these things. Why was there more than one?! There was only one fire spirit, wasn't there? Or was there a whole nest of cute little lizards out there?  
  
Didn't matter. It didn't matter.  
  
What _did_ matter was that the earth giants had approached the Northuldra camp- something which they usually never did. Their footsteps alone had caused the ground to shake and some trees to fall. The Northuldra had immediately doused all the campfires and hidden themselves, not breathing a single word in fear of being overheard. Were the giants really that vicious? Would they squish any human they saw with their enormous hands?  
  
Kristoff, Hans and Olaf were nowhere to be seen. Probably hiding along with everyone else. That was good. It meant they were safe. When the giants finally departed without causing a single casualty, relief washed over Anna.  
  
Still, it was calm before a storm. They were all in terrible danger, but no one as much as Elsa, who'd made a move as if to go _after_ the giants. She hoped to settle them, as she'd done with wind and fire, but Anna knew these terrible creatures were far from the cutesy spirits Elsa had faced so far- which, sure, had almost burned Elsa to death and Anna's throat still itched from the smoke she'd inhaled, but ice worked wonders on fire. On stone? Not so much.  
  
“Remember, the goal is to find the voice, find the truth and get us home,” Anna told her sister firmly.  
  
Elsa nodded, but before she could truly respond, some of their friends came running towards them. Olaf was taking the lead, with the fire spirit hitching a ride atop his head. Hans wasn't too far behind, and despite all the horrible things Anna had said to him earlier, he still ran right up to her, full of obvious concern. He made a motion as if to grab her shoulders, maybe even pull her into an embrace, only to quickly falter and retract both his hands again. Anna was immediately hit by a surge of guilt.  
  
“Anna, are you- I mean- Are the _both_ of you alright?” he asked.  
  
“We-We're fine,” she stammered in turn. She turned her gaze towards Elsa, noting that the fire spirit had jumped from Olaf's nose into her hand.  
  
“Geez guys, that was _close_ ,” Olaf whispered, perhaps worried the earth giants might still be lingering nearby.  
  
“I know,” Elsa said, somehow being just as quiet as Olaf without even whispering. “The giants sensed me. They may come back here- I don't want to put everyone at risk again. … And you're right, Anna. We've got to find the voice. We're going now.”  
  
“Okay, we're going, let me just...” Anna trailed off helplessly, her gaze scanning the Northuldra camp behind them. All the residents had come out of hiding again and were now moving back towards their campfires with a degree of caution. She could spot Sitron and Olly, she could even spot Lieutenant Mattias and the Arendellian soldiers. There were just two figures missing, and once Anna realized that, she began to fear the worst. “Wait, where are Kristoff and Sven?” she asked.  
  
“Oh yeah, I think they took off with that Ryder guy and a bunch of reindeer,” Olaf replied happily.  
  
“They... They _did_?” Hans asked, peering over to the camp as well, as if hoping he might spot Kristoff somewhere in the crowd anyway. No such luck. Anna couldn't blame him for being dumbfounded; she felt the same way.  
  
“They _left_? Just... left without saying anything?” she asked, though she wasn't sure where a satisfactory answer would even come from. The situation was painfully obvious.  
  
“Who knows the ways of men?” Olaf murmured. He walked past Anna and Hans to catch up to Elsa, who was already walking off towards the north.  
  
Just like that, Anna's earlier sentiments came back to haunt her. They couldn't waste any more time here. They had to find the voice, find the truth and get everyone home. Besides, if the earth giants really _were_ drawn to Elsa, it was best to stay on the move. So long as those big lugs couldn't _see_ her, they'd just keep meandering around aimlessly. What all that came down to was that if Kristoff wasn't here with them, he'd have to be left behind. Anna wasn't the only one who'd realized that, either.  
  
Hans looked from Elsa and Olaf to Anna, frowning. “What... What should we do?” he asked her. “Do you think we should wait a bit longer?”  
  
“Weeell, actually,” Anna began awkwardly. “Maybe Elsa and I can go on ahead, and you can stay here with Kristoff.”  
  
She'd known the moment she'd uttered the words that it could've been seen as a weighted suggestion. Still, the logic behind it seemed to make sense, which was why she'd gone through with it. It wasn't until she saw Hans's face fall that she realized just how badly the plan had been taken.  
  
“You don't want me to come with you?” he asked quietly.  
  
“Oh- No, Hans, that's not what I...”  
  
Anna turned her gaze towards the ground, fingers plucking at her cloak. An uncomfortable silence fell. It lasted for no more than five seconds, though.  
  
“Heeey, are you two having a private conversaaation?” Olaf called at them. “Should Elsa and me keep going until we're out of earshot?”  
  
“ _Olaf_...!” Elsa hissed, just loud enough for Anna to hear. She took the snowman by the arm and began to walk even further towards the north, doing exactly what Olaf had already offered to do.  
  
Hans and Anna watched the two of them go. It wasn't until they'd disappeared between the trees that they turned attention back to the conversation at hand. It was a conversation they probably should've had back in Arendelle, Anna knew, but things had been so hectic that it'd given her the perfect excuse _not_ to think too hard about it. It was painful, after all.  
  
“... You're still angry with me,” Hans stated. He must've assumed that to be a fact, and already, Anna didn't like the direction this heart-to-heart was taking.  
  
“I'm not _angry_ ,” she replied, only to notice that the volume of her voice implied otherwise. She drew in a deep breath and tried again, softer this time. “I'm not... angry with you, Hans. I'm just frustrated. And disappointed. Not with you, but with- well, the _situation_ , I guess.”  
  
“The situation?”  
  
“Do you remember when we talked to Olaf about certain certainties? Things that I can rely on to never change? Well, one of those certainties was that I thought you would never lie to me.”  
  
Hans suddenly looked a bit horrified. “Oh... Anna, I... I'm sorry.”  
  
“The worst part is that I understand why you did it. I mean, people have lied to me all my life,” Anna continued quietly. “My parents, Elsa, the castle staff- Even Kristoff's lied a few times. And I got over it just fine. But _you_... You were the one person I expected to always be honest with me, no matter what. If I can't even trust _your_ word anymore, then who's left to trust? And if even something as simple as that isn't a certainty, how do I know _other_ things I've come to rely on won't suddenly be ripped away?”  
  
For a long moment, Anna didn't know what else to say and Hans was silent too. Then, finally, he uttered the words “I suppose you _can't_ know. Sometimes things just _have_ to be different.”  
  
“I guess so,” Anna admitted. “I just need some time to think this over and let it sink in, but I don't _have_ that time right now, because Elsa is chasing after her- her _magical destiny_ and I'm giving everything I have just to try and keep up with her. And now Kristoff's just suddenly _gone_ , and there's angry spirits and giants and people we need to save, and apparently our mother had a whole bunch of secrets and-”  
  
Anna hadn't realized she was about to get lost in her rambling until Hans took both of her hands, tugging her away from that hysterical maelstrom and back to reality. He squeezed her fingers, the soft fabric of his gloves warming her bare skin. And he smiled. That was enough to have her feel more at ease again. She curled her own fingers around Hans's palms without even thinking about it.  
  
“I understand, Anna,” he said. “I apologize for giving you more reasons to worry, and for offering trivial distraction.”  
  
“But it's not _trivial_ ,” Anna argued immediately.  
  
“It _is_ when compared to magical destinies, angry spirits and your mother,” Hans insisted. “So don't give it another thought for now, alright? Once Elsa's found the origin of the voice and this forest's been freed, you'll have all the time you need to think about how you feel. And you can always punish me accordingly, if that's what you want.”  
  
Anna chuckled under her breath, tightening her hold on Hans's hands. “You're the _best_. Thank you.”  
  
“I wouldn't say I'm the _best_. But I'd do anything to make you happy. I hope you know that.”  
  
“Of course I know that, silly,” Anna said. “And I'd do the same for you, because I _love_ you, you know.”  
  
Hans continued to smile, though the feel of it went from wry to more warm and secure. Anna released his hands and threw her arms around his chest, pulling herself right into an embrace. Hans's own arms settled over her shoulders, around her neck. “And I love _you_ ,” he murmured close to her ear.  
  
“Love is an open door, right?” Anna asked him.  
  
“Love is an open door,” he confirmed. They stood like that for a while longer. Then Hans pulled back a bit, pressing a kiss against Anna's forehead. “That's for good luck,” he said.  
  
Anna grinned and stepped out of the embrace so she could look up at him. “I can feel my fortune improving already.”  
  
“I'll go and find Kristoff. The two of us will stick together and keep watch over the Northuldra camp while you're away with Elsa. That way, you'll have even less to worry about.”  
  
“... Thank you.”  
  
Anna cast one last glance towards the Northuldra people, who were all still a bit too distracted to realize that their saviors were leaving. The only one who peered their way was Yelena, but she seemed to have no intention of stopping them. This was it, then. She was going to have to venture further into the unknown with Elsa, leaving her two boyfriends behind.  
  
“I'll see you soon,” she told Hans.  
  
\---------  
  
_Things were going to be alright._ That was all Hans could think as he wandered through the woods to find Kristoff. Anna wasn't really angry with him, she just needed some time. He could give her time. Even if it were to take her twenty years to mull things over, he would wait for her. But she'd been right; the priority was to free this forest and keep everyone safe in the meantime.  
  
What on Earth had Kristoff been thinking, leaving camp at a time like this? Was it because Hans had asked to be alone? Had he accidentally hurt Kristoff's feelings in the same way Anna had hurt _his_? If that was true, he needed to fix things.  
  
The Enchanted Forest left Hans uneasy, but not so much that it scared him off. The mysterious sounds and rustling bushes were best left ignored, he felt. The fire and wind spirit had already been tamed by Elsa and with dawn breaking, the earth giants were meant to be asleep. Weird. Hans hadn't thought that magical spirits would be nocturnal. Either way, there weren't many threats left out here. Not that it convinced Olly, who was once again tucked away inside Hans's waistpack and watching their surroundings with wide eyes. The earth giants had probably intimidated him a bit. As for Sitron, he was still back at the Northuldra camp. Yelena had suggested that they move further west, just in case the giants returned, so they needed all the mounts they could get to carry their belongings. Sitron had seemed just a bit offended at being used like a transport mule, but then, they didn't have Kristoff's wagon with them. Why _had_ they left that behind?  
  
What time was it now? With the sun itself being obscured by the thick cloud of mist which covered the forest, Hans couldn't tell where _exactly_ in the sky it was. He only knew that some of its light could reach the inside of the forest anyway.  
  
At long last, another sound began to blend into the ambience of the forest: voices. Kristoff and Ryder must've been close. Hans spotted a reindeer ambling between some trees up ahead and knew immediately where to go, though the actual _getting there_ became a problem. With no good path in sight, he ended up wading through moist leaves and prickly bushes. By the time he'd gotten close enough to pet the nearest reindeer (and pet it he did), he could make out just what Kristoff and Ryder were discussing.  
  
“-Don't think the reindeer know just what they're missing, either. They were all born in here, just like I was. But I think... Once the curse is lifted, they'll _love_ going out into a- a _field_! Where there's no trees to get in their way when they run.” Ryder was saying.  
  
“Yeah! Sven loves stretching his legs too,” Kristoff chimed in. “And he should do it more often. He's been getting a little chubby.”  
  
Somewhere nearby, Sven snorted and puffed.  
  
“Heh. Sorry buddy, but it's true,” Kristoff said.  
  
“Don't worry, Sven. You'll get some jogging buddies soon,” Ryder remarked cheerfully. “So like I was saying, this one is Ingvar. And this one is Annika. Oh, that one over there is Karl! Say hi, Karl!”  
  
“ _Hi, Karl!_ ” replied a very goofy voice. At first, Hans assumed it was Kristoff's reindeer voice, but then he noticed it sounded a bit off. It must've been Ryder.  
  
“Ha ha! Good old Karl, always a joker! Now, you know what I meant!”  
  
“ _It's nice to meet you, Kristoff!_ ”  
  
Hans maneuvered his way around a tree and now, at last, he could spot two individuals in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by reindeer from all sides. Neither of them noticed his approach. They were distracted. Kristoff was sitting on a big rock, his full attention caught on Ryder, who had his arm slung around a particularly fluffy reindeer. Not even Sven, who was standing a bit closer, looked Hans's way. Olly struggled to get out of the waistpack, perhaps to run up to his friends, but Hans wouldn't let him out just yet.  
  
“So... You really talk for them too? You're not just doing it to mess with me?” Kristoff's voice had reached a very particular tone of excitement now. One that Hans recognized, but hadn't heard too often lately.  
  
“Of course not!” Ryder replied, apparently just as elated. “I've been doing it since I was little.”  
  
“It's like you can actually hear what they're thinking!”  
  
“Yeah! And then you- you just- you just _say_ it...!”  
  
“… And then you just say it.”  
  
Though Hans didn't know exactly _what_ the reason was, he suddenly felt very uneasy. Like a bittersweet memory had awoken in a corner of his mind. It was enough to have him back away, then slide himself behind the tree he'd just passed. If he could no longer _see_ Kristoff and Ryder, then maybe he'd find some relief, he thought. That didn't work, though. He could still _hear_ them chatting.  
  
“What about singing? Do you sing with them too?”  
  
“Of course! I like to play music for Sven on my lute and-”  
  
“Wait, what's a lute?”  
  
“It's a musical instrument! I didn't bring it with me, because it was kind of an emergency back home, but uh- It's about this big and made of wood, and you've got these long strings pulled across it like this. And you pluck the strings. Get it?”  
  
“It doesn't sound like any musical instrument _I've_ ever heard of. We use drums to play our music. … Oh! But I do have a fadno!”  
  
“What's a fadno?”  
  
“It's a flute! My dad taught me how to make it. Here, see?”  
  
“Oooh, that looks nice!”  
  
“You think so? Heh, Yelena always shoots me this _look_ when I play it. She thinks drums are our tradition, you know. But I just keep playing it anyway.”  
  
“We should play a duet when we get out of the forest! I'll get my lute and then we can see what kind of music we can whip up _together_.”  
  
“Really? I-I mean, I'd love that!”  
  
By now, Hans had managed to put a finger on why this conversation sounded so eerily familiar to him. It didn't have anything to do with the topic, but rather, the way the sentiments were being exchanged. Kristoff and Ryder were perfectly in line with one another. Their conversation was a harmony. A dance. Every sentence spoken was one which made the other person more invested. They were blind to their surroundings- to the grander picture that they found themselves in.  
  
It was just like the very first evening Hans had spent with Anna during Elsa's coronation.  
  
Hans had never stopped to consider that Kristoff might one day meet someone who was a perfect match for him. Had he always just blindly assumed that Kristoff couldn't possibly do any better than Anna and himself? The mere thought caused his stomach to clench painfully. He wanted to believe he was reading too much into the matter, only to hear something which felt like damnation.  
  
“Maybe once we've got the music down, we can gather up some reindeer and teach them-”  
  
“-To _dance_!”  
  
“That's what _I_ was gonna say!”  
  
Kristoff and Ryder both burst into laughter. Hans, however, had heard enough. He wasn't about to intrude on this kind of bonding. He'd promised Anna he'd keep an eye on Kristoff, but that job had already been taken from him. Three was a crowd. Besides, he knew very little about musical instruments, reindeer or any of those things. If he wasn't going to drag Kristoff back to camp, there was no point in standing there any longer.  
  
He pushed himself away from the tree he'd been leaning against and began to walk away from the reindeer, into the misty gloom of the cursed woods.  
  
\---------  
  
It was probably weird that Kristoff was starting to feel at home in the Enchanted Forest, wasn't it? What with the creepy mist, angry spirits and the fact that they couldn't _leave_ , nobody in their right mind would get comfortable here. But then, Kristoff had been raised by rock trolls in a semi-magical valley. He'd seen them do more than enough weird stuff and even after that, Elsa had tossed plenty of magical sights his way. Was this _really_ so different?  
  
More than anything, though, Kristoff felt at home with the Northuldra. Sure, he loved Arendelle and everyone who lived there, but it'd been far too long since he'd spoken with people who were, well, like him.  
  
Ryder in particular was someone to connect with, and it wasn't until their conversation was interrupted by a third person that Kristoff realized the darkness of the forest had cleared. It was daylight. How long had they been talking already? It must've been hours.  
  
“Ahem,” said the woman who'd pushed her way through the herd. It was Yelena. “Shouldn't you be rounding up the reindeer right about now?”  
  
“What? Why?” Ryder asked.  
  
“... Because we're moving camp?” Yelena raised an eyebrow, for some reason _surprised_ that Kristoff and Ryder weren't aware.  
  
“Oh! Guess there's work to do.” Ryder sighed before shooting a wry smile Kristoff's way. “Sorry.”  
  
“That's fine! I'd help you out with the reindeer, but I should probably go make sure Anna's staying out of trouble.”  
  
Yelena cleared her throat loudly. “About that... The princess left with the queen.”  
  
Kristoff hopped to his feet, running towards the Northuldra leader as panic set in. “What- Wait, _what_? _What_?!”  
  
“I wouldn't try to follow,” Yelena said bluntly. There wasn't a single shred of sympathy to be found in her voice, nor her features. She looked a bit uncomfortable at best. “They're long gone.”  
  
“Long gone?” Kristoff repeated. The oddest mixture of disappointment and betrayal was setting in.  
  
“Did you not already hear about this? I thought your prince friend had come to inform you over an hour ago.”  
  
“My prince fr- You mean _Hans_?”  
  
“Yes, him. You haven't seen him?” Yelena's eyes swerved from Kristoff's face towards the dense trees of the forest.  
  
“No... No, he wasn't... _here_ , I think.”  
  
“Hm. Well... Now you know. The princess, the queen and the snowman have gone north.” Yelena turned away, folding her hands behind her back. “The rest of us are heading west, to the Lycan Meadows, to avoid the earth giants. You can come with us if you want.”  
  
“What- _Earth giants_?” Kristoff repeated, baffled. Had he _missed_ something?  
  
But Yelena didn't respond. She'd already started to walk away, assuming that Kristoff and Ryder would either follow or find their own way back to camp.  
  
Kristoff whirled around to face Ryder. “What's going on? What are earth giants?”  
  
“Earth giants are these reeeally big... uhhh... Well, you know! Giants! Made of stone!” Ryder replied, gesturing wildly with both hands like he was swatting away a bunch of flies. “They're _bad news_. Really bad. But slow too! If they were near the camp last night, they're probably still in the area. It's best to get out of here while they're asleep- because they're usually awake at _night_ , you see.”  
  
Kristoff's mind was struggling to put two and two together at this point. So the giants had visited the camp... Anna had gone north with Elsa and Olaf, which would _hopefully_ be a safe trip during the day. If they hadn't bothered to find Kristoff and let him know, they must've left in a hurry. So then...  
  
“You don't think Hans got lost in the woods trying to find us, do you?” he asked Ryder.  
  
“I don't know. Maybe?”  
  
“Oh no...” Kristoff chewed his bottom lip, peering out into the dense fog. “Alright, here's what we do. You gather up the reindeer and head west with the others. Maybe take in a little bit of the south. If you see Hans, don't let him out of your sight. I'll go sweep the area to the northeast, just in case.”  
  
But Ryder shook his head. “Are you sure you want to go out into the forest _alone_?”  
  
“I'm not alone. I have _Sven_ ,” Kristoff said with a smile. “Don't worry, I know how to navigate the woods. I'll catch up with you and the others at the Lycan Meadows in a little bit.”  
  
There was a moment of hesitation. Then Ryder nodded and turned his attention to the reindeer, with the intention of shepherding them all out of the area. Kristoff gestured for Sven to follow him instead and began to walk. He could navigate a forest with ease, and even better, he knew how to follow tracks. Where normally he'd hunt down animals, now it fell to him to search for _Hans_. Disturbed bushes and leaves told him he was definitely following _something_.  
  
Despite the familiarity of the setting and the situation, his mind began to race. If Hans had gotten lost in the woods, he might've been ambushed by a magical spirit. Or a dangerous animal. Or whatever else this forest was still hiding. And sure, Hans could try to fight, but... What if he _lost_ that fight? How could Anna and Elsa have just _left_ like that? They were meant to be a team! How was Kristoff supposed to keep those two out of trouble now?  
  
Maybe he was meant to trust _them_ to find their destinies, just as he'd told Anna to trust Elsa.  
  
What broke him out of his deep thoughts was a deep rumbling noise. It sounded like a rock slide. But then... Kristoff had lived with rock trolls long enough to know what it _really_ was: snoring. He began to follow the sound and the louder it became, the more the treeline began to thin out. He was nearing a river, he realized soon after. So what exactly was snoring?  
  
Just as the water entered his field of vision, something shot out from behind a rock, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to an immediate stop. Kristoff yelped, tugged himself free and turned on the spot to see-  
  
“ _Hans_?!”  
  
Instead of a warm welcome, Kristoff was met with frenzied shushing. Hans flapped a hand, raised a finger to his lips and jerked his head towards the river. They took a few more steps closer and now, at last, Kristoff could see the source of the snoring.  
  
Enormous, rocky beings were sleeping along the riverside. Some were even _in_ the water, their noses just barely above the surface. They looked vaguely human in shape, but were definitely not that. If they were to stand upright, they might've been taller than Arendelle's castle. There were about ten of them in sight, maybe even more _out_ of sight. It was no wonder the Northuldra wanted to avoid the earth giants. These things were _terrifying_.  
  
Hans once again took him by the arm and began to lead him away from the river. Sven followed, though he did look back over his shoulder once or twice. Olly was peeking up at Kristoff from inside Hans's waistpack, he noticed. The further they wandered, the more freely they could speak.  
  
“What are you doing here?” Kristoff asked in a low whisper.  
  
“Oh, I was just observing the earth giants. I thought maybe we could learn a thing or two that might help us,” Hans replied. He was keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead.  
  
“So... What _have_ you learned?”  
  
“I've learned...” Hans trailed off in a thoughtful manner, his gaze flitting towards the sky. “That we should definitely not pick a fight with these guys. They could crush a person with dreadful ease. Let's hope that Elsa and Anna find a way to break the curse before the giants wake up again, or if they don't, that the giants will stick around near the river.”  
  
Kristoff frowned. “Yeahhh... But that's the sort of thing you could've learned just by looking at them once, right? So why are you still here?”  
  
“I... Well... I thought that if I kept an eye on these things, maybe I'd feel more...”  
  
“More what?”  
  
“... More _useful_ , I suppose,” Hans said, and Kristoff suspected it might've hurt him to admit it out loud. It wasn't too weird to imagine he'd feel that way, though. After living his life in the shadow of twelve brothers, being unneeded would've been an easy place for his mind to jump to.  
  
“Are you still worried about that?” Kristoff placed a hand on Hans's shoulder to pull him to a halt. Then he turned the man round to face him, finally achieving eye contact. Now that they were even further away from the river, he felt safe enough to raise his voice to a normal volume. “Listen. You were absolutely meant to be here, Hans. If you'd stayed behind in Arendelle, I would've spent the entire time wondering if you were okay and whether things would've been better here if you were with us. Anna would've wondered the same. Besides, Kai and Pabbie have probably got things under control back home. It's _here_ where we need all the help we can get.”  
  
Hans blinked, then hung his head. “I heard you talking to Ryder earlier. You two... really seemed to hit it off.”  
  
“Huh? Uh, sure! He's a good guy,” Kristoff said, not sure why that was being brought up all of a sudden.  
  
“No, I mean... You hit it off just like Anna and myself hit it off when we first met.”  
  
“We...?” Kristoff blinked, shook his head, then took a quick step backwards. “Oh, _no_! It's not like that! Ryder's just a friend! Besides, I don't believe in that whole 'love at first sight' thing, you know that.”  
  
“Exactly. So how do you know you won't _grow_ to love him?”  
  
Kristoff's eyebrows raised themselves up so high, it was kind of painful. “I know because I _know_.”  
  
“That's... not really an answer,” Hans mumbled.  
  
It was a little frustrating that Kristoff had to explain his thoughts on the matter. He'd kind of assumed that much had already been obvious. But then... He'd grown so attached to Hans and Anna precisely _because_ they weren't as in tune with his thoughts as they were with each other. What was the point of a relationship where you never really had to communicate with the other person? What was the point when you didn't _grow_ together? Unfortunately, the challenges that made it worthwhile meant that he'd have to put his feelings into words. Which was terrible, really, because he'd been screwing that up an awful lot, lately. He drew in a deep breath, then started a ramble that could've put Anna's to shame.  
  
“I fell in love with you and Anna _because_ you're so different from me. Sure, it's neat that Ryder talks for reindeer too and that he loves music, and he's just a commoner like me, but that's not what I'm looking for in love. I'm looking for your loyalty to the ones you care about. And I'm looking for your sense of humor and your playfulness, and how _charming_ you both can be. And strong- so _strong_. Not to mention gorgeous. That's why I already made my decision over two years ago, and I haven't regretted it even for a single day.”  
  
“Kristoff...”  
  
“Ryder's not my Anna. _Anna's_ my Anna. And you're my Hans. So don't worry, okay? I like talking to Ryder because it's fun to talk about reindeer and stuff, but that just means he's a good friend. And to be honest, he can't beat Sven when it comes to _best_ friend material. He hasn't even got _Olaf_ beat on the friendship level. I mean, maybe he will, some day, but... That's Olaf's battle to fight, not yours.”  
  
Hans chuckled, though it sounded a little wet. He rubbed the palm of his hand past his left eye, too. “Thanks, Kristoff. I really needed to hear that.”  
  
A cheerful squeak sounded from inside Hans's waistpack, causing Kristoff to start. He'd honestly forgotten that Olly was here. Could Snowgies understand relationship trouble? Even after more than two years, Kristoff had no idea just how clever Olly _really_ was. Either way, he shuffled his feet and hunched his shoulders, his cheeks burning.  
  
“Well... I'm glad I finally got to tell you. So can we go back to camp now? There's nothing else to find here anyway.”  
  
With that, Kristoff took Hans's arm and they began to stride away from the river. The further they walked, the less of it they could hear. The giants' snores faded out and became almost inaudible, except for one loud snort which seemed to have rumbled at the exact same time as a high-pitched whoop. The wind, Kristoff assumed. Hans glanced back over his shoulder one last time, towards the stream that was now so distant they could barely see it.  
  
“What's up?” Kristoff asked.  
  
“I just had this weird feeling...” Hans muttered. “It's probably nothing. Hey, where do you think Elsa and Anna are right now?”  
  
“Wherever they are, I'm sure they're together.”  
  
  
**To Be Continued**


	33. The Next Right Thing

\---------  
  
 _“So I'll walk through this night, stumbling blindly toward the light, and do the next right thing. And with the dawn, what comes then? When it's clear that everything will never be the same again.”_  
  
\---------  
  
Things couldn't _possibly_ get any worse. No. There was absolutely no way. Rock bottom had been hit in a very literal sense, and in a way, Anna was lucky she hadn't gotten hurt during that landing. Not everyone could say they'd ridden an ice canoe down a waterfall and gotten out unscathed. It was a good thing Olaf couldn't feel pain, as he'd lost his nose on the way down. Anna had found it for him soon enough, but that didn't fix much of the overall situation.  
  
What had Elsa been _thinking_ , sending them away like that?! After all this talk of sharing everything and solving the mystery of the forest together... Anna had asked time and time again to be included in her sister's adventure, only to be pushed away so far, she'd almost ended up in the enormous clutches of the earth giants. Talk about dangerous! And using a _hug_ to trick Anna into letting her guard down? That was just downright unfair. Even Olaf was angry with Elsa, and that was quite a feat. Olaf had never, _ever_ been angry before. Anna hadn't known he was even capable of such a thing.  
  
Was Elsa ever going to change? Or was she just going to keep shutting the door in Anna's face to 'keep her safe' over and over?  
  
Now they were in a dark pit with no way out. There were only pitch-black ways _in_ , leading to more and more spooky tunnels. No Elsa, no Hans, no Kristoff... Anna's only remaining light in the darkness was Olaf. Well, _him_ and the modest torch that she'd managed to cobble together. How long had they been down here already? It'd been a bright afternoon when they'd sailed down that river, but now Anna had no way of knowing whether the sun was still out. All she knew was that she was hungry and her feet were sore. For all the hours of walking they'd been doing, they'd gotten exactly nowhere. They must've been going in circles.  
  
Anna breathed a deep sigh and lowered the torch. “Let's take another break,” she suggested to Olaf.  
  
“Are you sure? We're getting _real_ close to an exit now. I can just _feel_ it,” he replied cheerfully.  
  
“All the more reason to be rested when we head out there,” Anna said. With that, she sat herself down on a rock, trying very hard not to think about how cold and slimy it was. Caves were disgusting...  
  
“Elsa's coming back for us, right?” Olaf asked. While it usually would've been a hopeful, optimistic sort of remark, this time it was a genuine question.  
  
“... I don't know,” Anna admitted. “I'm not sure she knows we're stuck in here.”  
  
“But she's chasing after her destiny, isn't she? And isn't it part of her destiny to be together with us?”  
  
Anna was silent for a moment. What if being part of the family _wasn't_ Elsa's destiny? What if she hadn't been meant to return to Arendelle after the coronation incident three years ago? What if forcing her to take on her role as queen had been wrong from the very beginning?  
  
… No. No, that was stupid. Arendelle _needed_ a queen as wise and amazing as Elsa. And Elsa needed her family and her friends by her side, because she did truly love them. Elsa _herself_ had said that her life was perfect now, and she hadn't wanted anything to mess it up. So without a doubt, Elsa's destiny was to meet up with Anna again and return home. But then...  
  
“Maybe it's _our_ destiny to get out of here and meet up with Elsa,” Anna remarked.  
  
“Oh! That makes sense!” Olaf laughed and wiped his brow. “ _Phew_! Got worried there, for a second. So what about Kristoff and Hans? Are _they_ coming to find us?”  
  
Anna frowned and bit her bottom lip. “Uhhh... Well, I kinda asked them to stay put, so... Prooobably not?”  
  
“Ohhh, right! You pushed them away because Hans hiding a secret for Elsa reminded you that people can be dishonest, and Kristoff's been acting like he's in a bad romantic comedy stageplay ever since the harvest festival!”  
  
“What? How do you know about that?” Anna asked, alarmed.  
  
Olaf chuckled under his breath, acting as if the answer was something so very obvious, the question could only have been raised as a joke. “I know because you're my _friends_! And I listen to my friends!”  
  
Wow, that _was_ an obvious answer, Anna thought wryly. Had she been taking Olaf for granted all this time? Maybe _he_ was the only one she could trust to never lie to her. If there was anything the snowman was, it was brutally honest. Her free hand clenched in her lap and she raised the torch, hoping to illuminate her surroundings a bit better.  
  
“Hey Olaf, you spent a lot of time talking to kids, right? About how they deal with maturity and change?” she asked.  
  
“I sure did! They're all very wise. This next generation of people is going to be amazing, I can tell.”  
  
“What... did you learn from them?”  
  
“Good question! Well, you'd think the kids from Arendelle and the Northuldra kids would be different, right? But it turns out, they're _not_! When I asked them about the future, they all replied in pretty much the same way.”  
  
“Oh? And what way is that?”  
  
“ _Weeell_... Mostly they started playing with my limbs and pressing their wee little fingers into my snow.” Olaf frowned for a few seconds, then laughed quietly. “It tickled! But what I think they _meant_ to say is that we shouldn't think too hard about it. We just have to live one moment at a time, you know?”  
  
“And take things one _step_ at a time?” Anna asked.  
  
“Right! See? You're getting it too.”  
  
Anna smiled and pushed herself to her feet again. “Thanks for the advice, Olaf. I think I'm ready to keep going now.”  
  
“Great! Off we go, to save Elsa, save the people in the forest, save Arendelle, and set things right with your boyfriends! That last one doesn't sound as impressive, but it's _just as important_.”  
  
“It sure is,” Anna said with a smile.  
  
So they kept walking, one step at a time. When one could see no future, all one could do was the next right thing, or so Pabbie had said. And as Lieutenant Mattias's father had said: just when you thought you'd found your way, life would throw you on a new path. But one never had to give up when that happened. They had to keep going through these dark tunnels, for everyone's sake, even their own.  
  
Though a two-way split did give them pause.  
  
“Hmm... Which lucky tunnel do we choose?” Olaf mused quietly.  
  
Anna never had the time to offer her response. A familiar blue light- _magic_ \- darted through the tunnel, swirling around Anna even as _un_ familiar voices echoed off the walls.  
  
“ _The dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me._ ”  
  
“ _King Runeard, the dam is hurting the forest!_ ”  
  
A flurry of snowflakes came together, forming the most dreadful sculpture Anna had ever seen in her life. Two men, one of them oblivious and the other vicious, poised to strike with a gigantic sword. It was just like when Elsa had tamed the wind spirit; a moment frozen in time.  
  
Because water had memory. This meant that water remembered the exact reason the fighting broke out between Arendelle and the Northuldra. Water remembered the exact reason the spirits were angered and the forest was locked down.  
  
Anna approached the ice sculpture, peering up into the face of the man wielding the sword. Her stomach clenched painfully, because she recognized him. She'd seen that face many times before, all over Arendelle. In books, in the portrait gallery, in one of the ballrooms, in a statue... But all those depictions had been a lie. Just one more deception to add to their family lineage. This was King Runeard's _true_ face.  
  
“Elsa's found it,” she said breathlessly.  
  
But Olaf wasn't so quick on the uptake. “What is it?” he asked.  
  
“The truth about the past. That's my grandfather, attacking the Northuldra leader... who wields no weapon.” Anna cringed, a chill running down her spine. Saying it out loud made everything feel so much worse. “The dam wasn't a gift of peace. It was a trick.”  
  
“But that goes against everything Arendelle stands for...” Olaf said.  
  
“It does, doesn't it?” Suddenly feeling quite weak, Anna sat herself down on a rock. With the truth of the past came one other realization. Their responsibility as the descendants of King Runeard. The _solution_. “I know how to free the forest. I know what we have to do to set things right.”  
  
“Why do you say that so sadly?”  
  
“We have to break the dam.”  
  
“But Arendelle will be flooded!”  
  
“That's why everyone was forced out. To protect them from what has to be done.”  
  
“Oh? … _Ohhh_...” Olaf walked over to her, placing his head in her lap in an attempt to comfort her. It was a nice gesture, Anna thought. She leaned forward to rest her cheek against Olaf's forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked her.  
  
“I could really use a bright side, Olaf.”  
  
“A bright side? Um. Turtles can breathe through their butts?” Olaf offered, which Anna didn't consider to be much of a bright side at all. How was that meant to help them? Still, the confusion didn't last for long. Olaf became distracted, pointing to something _behind_ Anna. “ _A-Aaand_... I see a way out!”  
  
Anna looked towards where he was pointing and sure enough, there was a bit of light streaming into the cave in the distance. It was through an opening that was up pretty high, but it was an opening all the same. If they could just climb up there...!  
  
“I knew I could count on you!” Anna got to her feet again, striding towards the source of the light with newfound purpose. “Come on, Olaf! Elsa's probably on her way back right now. We can meet her and-”  
  
The rest of the sentence died in the back of Anna's throat. She halted in her steps, all her attention on the snowflakes which were dancing around in front of her face. More of Elsa's magic? Were there about to be even _more_ horrible truths in the form of ice sculptures? She looked down to where the snowflakes were coming from, but that didn't make things any less ominous. The snowflakes were parts of a grander whole, which looked like it was becoming undone. Anna swallowed thickly.  
  
“… Olaf? Are you okay?”  
  
\---------  
  
Hans couldn't sleep. There were two main reasons for that, really. The first, most important one was that Anna, Elsa and Olaf still hadn't returned. They'd been gone for so long already... The curse showed no sign of being broken yet, either. Were they alright? Surely, they had to be. Elsa wielded some of the most powerful magic out there, Olaf was basically immortal and Anna... Well, she was _Anna_. So what was taking them so long?  
  
The second reason Hans couldn't sleep was because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get comfortable. Sure, there was a layer of reindeer pelt covering the cold, hard ground, but that didn't stop tiny rocks from prodding into Hans's body. Sure, he had his own blanket with him, but it didn't make him feel any more at home. People like the Northuldra, who slept like this every night, were far more deserving of respect than someone who'd been raised in the lap of luxury.  
  
He was the only one who couldn't sleep, he was sure. Olly was curled up right beside his leg, a chill seeping through the fabric of the blanket. As for Kristoff, there was more than enough snoring to indicate he was out like a light. For the last hour or so, Hans had been staring up at the sky, trying to _imagine_ where the stars might be behind that thick layer of mist. He'd gazed up at the night sky with Anna and Kristoff plenty of times back in Arendelle, but couldn't quite remember where any stars were positioned.  
  
“Kristoff?”  
  
Hans had gone unheard, as the noise Kristoff produced continued just as fervently as before. Rolling onto his side, Hans slipped a hand out from under his blanket and jabbed Kristoff between the ribs. That put an immediate stop to the snoring. Instead, there was a groan of dismay.  
  
“ _Kristoff_ ,” Hans hissed, a bit louder than before.  
  
“Hnn- What?” was the low, sleepy reply.  
  
“Anna and Elsa have been gone for almost a day already. Does that seem right to you?”  
  
“Well...” Kristoff yawned, stretched out an arm and rolled onto his side. “It was just before dawn when they left, then it was daylight for a while, now it's night again. So... That's about right.”  
  
“It just- It feels shorter somehow, doesn't it? Like it's only been a few hours.”  
  
“... It is what it is. Go back to sleep.”  
  
Hans considered doing just that. He rolled himself onto his back, once again peering up at the sky. Then he saw tree tops swaying in the wind from the corner of his eye. Was something coming? … No, that was just plain paranoia. _Or was it_?  
  
“What if the giants are headed towards camp again?” he asked. “Maybe we should go check.”  
  
Kristoff sighed, and Hans turned his head to see the man rubbing at his face with both hands. When he spoke, his voice was muffled by his palms. “ _Hans_... Do you know what'll happen if you don't get any sleep, just like how you barely got any sleep _last_ night, or the night before that?”  
  
“Uhhh.”  
  
“You'll get sick. And then, when Anna and Elsa return, you won't even be able to congratulate them on breaking the curse. Lieutenant Mattias and his men are taking turns patrolling the area. So please, I'm begging you. _Try_ to sleep.”  
  
“... Right. Okay.” Hans closed his eyes and _willed_ dreams to come. After about ten seconds, he once again grew so very impatient that he sat up. “You know what? I'm going for a stroll. That'll help tire me out.”  
  
Kristoff groaned very loudly and raised his blanket up over his head. Hans supposed that meant he wouldn't join him. Well, that was fine. Kristoff needed his sleep too. Carefully scooping Olly up with both hands, Hans slipped himself out from underneath the blanket. While the Snowgie protested and squirmed, he didn't seem _too_ upset at being awoken. Instead, he rolled himself around twice in Hans's palms before jumping into a standing position, ready for some midnight shenanigans.  
  
 _Adorable_.  
  
Once he'd slipped on his boots and cloak, he tiptoed his way through the camp, Olly settled on his shoulder. While he'd considered walking along the edge of the forest clearing, his attention was drawn by the silhouette of Lieutenant Mattias. The man was sitting alone by a fire just outside camp, a steaming mug of _something_ in his hands. Tea, Hans supposed, as there was a kettle hanging above the flames.  
  
Hans hesitated for a moment, then approached. “Good evening, Lieutenant,” he said once he was close enough.  
  
Mattias started a bit, and Hans assumed he'd been in deep thought before now. Or perhaps he'd dozed off on the job. When he turned his head, his smile was a warm one. “Prince Hans. What are you doing here?”  
  
“I couldn't sleep. Are you keeping watch all by yourself?”  
  
“Oh, yes. The others aren't as young as they used to be, so I thought it best to let them get their rest.”  
  
Hans hunched his shoulders for a bit, then indicated the stump by Mattias's side. “May I sit here?”  
  
“Of course!” was the immediate, somewhat baffled response. In hindsight, it might've seemed odd to Mattias that a prince would ask for any kind of permission. If so, the lieutenant was in for many more surprises. “Would you like some tea? There's still some water left in the kettle, so... Well, I can make even more if half a cup is not to your liking.”  
  
“No, thank you,” Hans said, sitting himself down. Olly immediately jumped down into his lap. “Tea might keep me up even longer.”  
  
“Oh, right. My apologies.”  
  
Hans released a breath through his nose. It'd been a long time since someone had treated him with that kind of unwarranted respect. Perhaps, once he'd married Anna, the entire castle staff would lose their more casual air around him as well. That was kind of a sad thought.  
  
“Please, don't be so formal around me. I would prefer for us to be friends,” he said.  
  
Mattias once again looked a bit startled, only for that expression to soften into another smile. “Prince Agnarr used to say the same thing.”  
  
“Oh...”  
  
Silence followed. Mattias raised the tea to his mouth and Olly stood on tiptoe in Hans's lap, keen eyes honed in on the mug's trajectory. Olly liked to bathe in hot water, Hans knew, and might've mistaken the tea for just that. If so, he'd be sorely disappointed. The mugs were a bit too small for Olly to lounge in and even if they weren't, it'd be a waste of tea.  
  
Mattias must've noticed that he was being watched closely, as he sat quite frozen for another long moment before lowering his mug again. “Does he... _need_ something?”  
  
“Oh, no. He's attracted to heat,” Hans explained, lifting Olly up with both hands to stop him from leaping towards Mattias.  
  
“A snowman that's attracted to heat?” the lieutenant repeated, amused. “Goodness. This whole thing is going to take some getting used to.”  
  
“Is it really?”  
  
“I had never encountered anything magical before coming to this forest. I'm sure that when I first saw it here, I must've been impressed, but I don't quite recall those feelings. For over thirty four years, I believed magic to be the weapon of our enemy. For it to have made its way into Arendelle through one of Agnarr's daughters... Well, I suppose one might call it irony. Either way, the kingdom I left behind is quite different now, isn't it?”  
  
Hans peered from Mattias's worn face to Olly, whose little legs were still kicking in the air in an attempt to get to the tea. “If you want to get used to it, you can hold him for a while.”  
  
“I can...?” Mattias looked a bit intimidated by the prospect. Hans found he could relate; he hadn't reacted too gracefully to Olaf the first time he'd met him, either. Living snowmen were the sort of thing to get used to through bonding.  
  
“Sure. I'll hold your tea for you.”  
  
Mattias hesitated, then nodded. The mug was exchanged for the Snowgie, who was held gingerly with both hands at arm's length. Olly squirmed, giggled, then looked up at Mattias with a wide grin.  
  
“Oof, uh... Is this it? Am I doing it right?” the lieutenant asked, still very on edge.  
  
“Yes, that's it.”  
  
“He's very cold, isn't he?”  
  
“Hah, you should've felt Olaf before he had permafrost. That was the _worst_." Despite his wording, Hans smiled fondly at the memory. "It was just like touching actual snow. But the permafrost adds a little something to keep the cold inside and the warmth outside, I think, so it's not _as_ bad.”  
  
“That's... very interesting,” Mattias mumbled, bending his arms to hold Olly a bit closer but still acting as if he were holding a very expensive, very fragile item.  
  
“Anyway, even if Arendelle's a little different now, the people will still be very happy to see you again,” Hans said. “You have a bit of a reputation. A good one, of course! Did you know the royal guard still teaches one of your moves to newcomers?”  
  
Mattias instantly perked up, grinning. “Oh! Do they really?”  
  
“Yes! The Mattias Maneuver, they call it. It's the one where you draw your sword and hold it at a sideways angle, so...”  
  
Hans trailed off when he saw a snowflake pass by before his eyes. And then another. He would've assumed it was snowing, were it not for the fact that the flakes weren't _falling_. Instead, they were moving upwards, as if being lifted by the wind. That was weird; there was barely a breeze where he was sitting.  
  
“Oh no!” he heard Mattias shout. “What's happening? Did I break him? I _broke_ him!”  
  
Dread coursing through his mind and body, Hans peered down at Olly, who'd gone quite still in Mattias's hold. The snowflakes were coming from _him_ , flaking off his tiny body and taking to the air almost as if they were being stolen away. _Olly_ was being stolen away, bit by bit. Nothing like it had ever happened before.  
  
Immediately, he took the Snowgie from Mattias's hands and set him down on his own lap. “Olly! Are you alright?!”  
  
Olly hung his head, producing the saddest, _softest_ little squeak Hans had ever heard him utter.  
  
“Oh no- It's okay! _It's okay_!” Hans sputtered, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. It sure wasn't settling his _own_ panic. He leapt to this feet. “We'll just- _KRISTOFF_! Kristoff, _HELP_!” he shouted.  
  
“What?” he heard Kristoff call back from halfway across the campsite.  
  
“It's Olly! Olly's- I don't know, something's _wrong_!”  
  
Tent flaps opened and several Northuldra threw a glance his way, their expressions ranging from tired to confused to shocked. Five seconds later, Kristoff came sprinting his way, one of his shoes still held firmly in his hand. Sven wasn't far behind.  
  
“What's happening? What's-” Kristoff's queries answered themselves the moment his gaze fell on Olly. He came to an immediate halt right before them, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. “Whaaat?”  
  
“It's my fault! It's got to be _my_ fault!” Mattias prattled. “I was holding him and-”  
  
“No, no! It wasn't-” Hans protested, only to falter and turn his attention back to Kristoff. “ _Do_ something!”  
  
“What? What do you expect _me_ to do?” Kristoff asked.  
  
“ _I don't know_!” Hans hollered. Following that, he felt his strength leave him and his legs buckled. His knees hit the ground heavily, the pain shooting through his body. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the Snowgie in his hands, who was growing less substantial by the second. “ _Olly_...”  
  
But there was nothing to be done, nor even to be said. Within seconds, the only thing Hans was still holding was Olly's bandana. The rest of him was gone; whisked away elsewhere, bit by bit. Hans couldn't think. He could barely grasp that it'd happened at all. The only thing to echo through his mind was that it was impossible. Olly had been through so much already and had always come out unharmed. Beings made of magic weren't supposed to _die_.  
  
Somewhere above him, he heard Kristoff gasp. It was a very sudden, sharp sound. A realization. “... We have to go back.”  
  
“Back where?” Mattias asked.  
  
“Back to that _place_! You know! Where we first met! Where Elsa tamed the wind spirit.”  
  
“What? Why?”  
  
“Because- Well, it's probably nothing. I just... I want to check something.”  
  
Hans thought that was nonsense. Utter gibberish. Still, caught in the haze of shock as he was, he allowed Kristoff to guide him to Sitron. He held back his tears and instead watched with shimmering vision as Mattias mounted a reindeer with obvious difficulty. Kristoff hopped on Sven's back. Together, they raced back towards the place where Elsa and Anna had first discovered their father's secret savior, along with their mother's heritage.  
  
It wasn't until they reached that place that Hans understood what exactly Kristoff had wanted to check. This was the only other accessible place with traces of Elsa's magic. The ice sculptures- the moments frozen in time... They were _melting_.  
  
“What does this mean?” Mattias asked.  
  
Kristoff raised a hand to the sculpture of a reindeer, only for a part of its antlers to break. The ice fell to the ground, landing with more of a _splash_ than a clatter. Hans found himself cringing at it. When Kristoff spoke, he voiced what they were all surely thinking.  
  
“I think that... Elsa might be in trouble.”  
  
\---------  
  
This was bad. This was so, _so_ very bad. Kristoff had already had his doubts about the whole Enchanted Forest thing the moment they'd set out from Arendelle, but never could he have imagined it'd go this horribly wrong. Anna, Elsa and Olaf were missing in action, Olly had actually _vanished_ right in front of them and now they were stuck in a cursed forest with some vicious, rock-hard giants.  
  
He tried to imagine what sort of advice Grand Pabbie might give, were he here right now, only to draw a blank. Something cryptic and way too broad to grasp, probably.  
  
The sun had come up by now, but Kristoff wasn't about to sit idly by any more. He'd been in firm agreement with Hans about going further north. They didn't have the advantage of hearing a magical voice in their heads, but if they could just follow in Elsa's footsteps- or _Anna's_ footsteps, they'd eventually catch up. They'd find their friends and discover that everything was okay, it was just a false alarm. There was no reason to be worried, really, because Kristoff trusted Anna and Elsa to be alright. They were only going to check on them, just in case.  
  
In the meantime, Mattias and his soldiers were patrolling the area. Last Kristoff had seen them, they'd been headed in the direction of the dam. Since the giants were meant to be asleep, that was probably a good place for them to go for now. Nobody knew where the _water_ spirit was meant to be, after all.  
  
The camp had been left behind not too long ago. What with having to gather a few supplies and inform the Northuldra leader they were leaving, it'd taken them a bit longer than Kristoff would've liked to actually set off. Hans had barely said a word and even now, he was so incredibly quiet, it made Kristoff uncomfortable. Olly's bandana had been tied around his wrist.  
  
They were meant to find Anna and Elsa in a hurry, but even so, Kristoff slowed Sven's pace until he was riding alongside Sitron. “Hey Hans, uh... Are you okay?” he asked.  
  
But Hans didn't look his way. His eyes, bloodshot from exhaustion, were honed in on the road ahead. “I'm fine,” he said gruffly.  
  
Kristoff wondered whether he should leave it at that, only to dismiss that sort of defeatist attitude. “I... I'm sorry about Olly,” he said. “But- I mean- he's _magic_ , right? So maybe Elsa just needed to divert all her magic elsewhere for a little while, or something. Then she can always bring him back.”  
  
“ _Kristoff_...” The tone of Hans's voice was so off, at first Kristoff took it to be impatience. Then he realized it was strained with a determination not to break. “It's sweet that you're trying to cheer me up, but I'd rather just not think about it right now. Not when Anna and Elsa might be in trouble.”  
  
There was no comeback to that. Kristoff didn't need one. A sudden noise rumbled through the air. It sounded like an earthquake, complete with trees snapping and animals fleeing. Kristoff immediately turned Sven around, and while he expected not to see anything of interest, his eyes honed in on the problem immediately. Big, ugly, rocky heads were peering out over the treeline nearby.  
  
Three earth giants were on the move.  
  
Kristoff couldn't understand why they were up and about in broad daylight. With each step there was another rumble. Gigantic arms pushed trees out of the way. It didn't seem like they were headed towards the Northuldra camp, though. Not only were they veering off course for that, their attention was on something much closer to their feet. Were they looking for something? … Were they _chasing_ someone?  
  
“Oh dear...” he heard Hans say.  
  
“We have to go back,” Kristoff decided, already spurring Sven forward.  
  
“But what about-” Hans called after him.  
  
“Someone's in trouble! We have to get to them before the giants do!”  
  
Quite expecting Hans to keep up, but still fostering a healthy amount of 'what if', Kristoff felt a surge of relief when he looked over his shoulder to see that Sitron was indeed not far behind. Good. If Hans had decided to split up from Kristoff and continue north on his own, it could've led to trouble. Anna and Elsa going ahead on their own had set an incredible example of how badly that could go wrong.  
  
Not that there was any guarantee Kristoff and Hans could've helped if they'd all stuck together- Assuming that Anna, Elsa and Olaf were in serious danger, which they clearly _weren't_ , because Kristoff believed in them and he wouldn't be able to handle it if that belief turned out to be misguided.  
  
They'd go help with the giant situation first, then go back to confirming Anna was okay.  
  
Much to Kristoff's horror, those two goals turned out to be one and the same. No matter the rocks and trees the giants were flinging her way, no matter how close she was to getting trampled beneath enormous feet, no matter how _easy_ it would've been to just dodge _sideways_ , Anna was running on ahead of the giants. She was falling behind. Despite how slow they were, the giants' steps spanned such a great distance that they were, in essence, still faster than a sprinting human being.  
  
Luckily, horses and reindeer were even faster.  
  
Both Hans and himself sped up to get to her, but Kristoff got there first. He lifted Anna up into his arms just before she could be smushed. Kristoff's fingers dug into the fabric of her sleeves just a bit, telling him that she was alive. She was unharmed. Sure, she was being chased by rock spirits, but she was _here_. She hadn't seen him coming, but her surprise melted into relief the moment she looked up into his face.  
  
“Kristoff...!” she breathed quietly. Then she turned her head. “Hans!”  
  
Sure enough, Sitron had caught up just fine and now Hans was right by their side. The giants were pursuing them as well. Kristoff tugged at Sven's harness, indicating they ought to head right, into the trees and away from the giants' current route, only for Anna to pull back with both hands.  
  
“No no no! Keep going _that_ way! Straight ahead!” she cried out.  
  
“Anna, what are you-”  
  
“Just _trust_ me!”  
  
And that was all it took for Kristoff to settle down. If Anna desperately wanted to head in a certain direction, there must've somewhere she was headed _to_. She seemed full of resolve, and even as a rock flew overhead, flung by the giants behind her, she didn't falter. Sven dodged sideways to avoid the splatter of mud that came from the rock's landing, but stayed on course all the same.  
  
“Where's Elsa? And Olaf?” Hans asked, still doing his best to keep Sitron close.  
  
Anna was quiet for a bit, and Kristoff had to crane his head to the left to see the pained expression on her face. “... They're gone,” she ultimately said, confirming Kristoff's worst fears. “Elsa went to Ahtohallan- to the river of memories from mother's lullaby. She insisted on going alone, I... I couldn't stop her. I think she went too far- whatever _that_ means. The magic keeping Olaf alive is gone, so... So Elsa must be gone too.”  
  
“Oh Anna... I'm so sorry.” Hans tried to bring Sitron closer and reach out to her, only for the moment to be disrupted when another tree was flung their way, crashlanding not too far ahead of them. One of the giants made a noise that almost sounded like it was _growling_.  
  
They weren't even given time to mourn.  
  
“Elsa found the truth,” Anna continued once she'd found her resolve again. “We have to finish what she started. We have to make things right with the forest once and for all.”  
  
“What do you need?” Kristoff asked, because he knew this was Anna's job to do and his place was to be by her side. To _help_ her. It was the same for Hans.  
  
“To get to the dam,” Anna said, her eyes narrowing towards what lay ahead. Indeed, that very structure was already looming over them. It'd take maybe another minute to get to the base.  
  
Kristoff knew what that implied. He knew what sort of damage it would cause once the giants got close. He also knew that Anna wouldn't suggest it lightly. “You got it,” he told her.  
  
For once, Hans was the one who was second-guessing, if only a little. “Wait, are you saying the dam has to go? But _Arendelle_ -”  
  
“There's no other way. This is why Arendelle was evacuated by the spirits when they awoke,” Anna explained.  
  
“But... Wait, does that mean the spirits knew about the dam all along?” Hans looked back over his shoulder, towards the three grumpy giants. “Why didn't _they_ destroy it, then?”  
  
Anna opened her mouth, closed it again, frowned and raised a finger. “Something about destiny, probably,” she ultimately replied.  
  
Kristoff scowled and he was sure Hans mimicked the sentiment. Regardless of logic, this situation sure kept going from bad to worse. The Arendellians had just lost their queen and now, they were about to lose their homes. Kristoff sure hoped that Kai and Pabbie had stuck to their orders and kept the citizens on the cliff side, because the tidal wave that was about to be unleashed was sure to be a big one.  
  
  
 **To Be Continued**


	34. Get This Right

\---------  
  
 _“We got the hard part over with, now hold me tight. We're gonna get this right.”_  
  
\---------  
  
The moment a colorful symbol flashed high up in the sky, Hans knew that Anna's plan had done the trick. The mist began to lift at a slow, gradual pace while the giants had halted their rampage immediately. It was over. The curse had been lifted and the forest was freed. Even so, it came with a very heavy, bitter feeling. Such a grand, hefty tidal wave had been unleashed that Hans had been forced to look away. He knew that Arendelle wouldn't stand a chance against such a terrifying force of nature.  
  
An eye for an eye, Hans concluded grudgingly. The king of Arendelle had sabotaged the home of the Northuldra people and killed their leader, so it made sense for the Arendellians to lose their homes and leader as well. The destruction of the dam had balanced out the score and washed away the tainted legacy that Runeard had built- his throne of lies. Still, at the same time it felt horribly unfair. The Arendellians hadn't _known_ about Runeard's plans, not even Lieutenant Mattias, so why should they all be punished? They were never complicit in the first place. Why did _Elsa_ have to die when she was the one who'd come here to make things right?  
  
No, it wasn't really fair at all.  
  
The following hour passed in such a haze, it all felt like a very blurry, incomplete dream. All Hans knew was that suddenly, they were approaching the very edge of the forest. There stood the four big stones which had marked the entrance and the misty barrier. Only now, that barrier was gone and beyond it was the mountain where Kristoff had left the wagon. The Northuldra were all peering up at the clear sky with awe, though no one was as delighted as Ryder. Even Yelena and Mattias had set aside their differences to share the moment together. Sven, overcome with giddy excitement, led the Northuldra's herd of reindeer out into the open field. Sitron cast a quick glance over his shoulder, as if searching for permission from Hans, then dashed out as well.  
  
The only ones who were not counting their blessings were Anna, Kristoff and Hans himself. The three of them stood together, arms crossed over their chests and heavy frowns on their faces.  
  
“... I'm sorry I left you behind,” Anna ultimately said, addressing the both of them. “I was just so desperate to protect her. But I suppose... that was all in vain.”  
  
“Anna... Love is never in vain. It makes all the difference in the world,” Hans replied. He hesitated for a moment, then put his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. “And I'm so, _so_ sorry it had to end this way.”  
  
Kristoff stepped up to them as well, throwing his arms not only around Anna but around as much of Hans as possible. “Me too,” he murmured. “You did the right thing. I'm sure Elsa would be very proud of you. It's up to us now to pick up the pieces and put them back together.”  
  
For a moment, Anna said nothing. She only leaned into the shared embrace. Hans was convinced she was crying silent tears, so he strengthened his own hold on her. When she spoke up again, though, her voice was still holding pretty firm.  
  
“Right. You're right. Arendelle isn't a place o-or a bunch of buildings. It's the _people_. So we'll help them rebuild those buildings. We'll make a brand new home for them. A _better_ home. No secrets, no deceit... That's the Arendelle Elsa would have wanted.” Anna backed herself out of the hug, peering up at Hans and Kristoff in turn. “Thank you. Both of you. For standing by me through all this. I know it wasn't easy.”  
  
“Hey, it's fine! Our love is not fragile,” Kristoff said.  
  
“It might be a bit quirky at times, but it's definitely not fragile,” Hans chimed in, smiling.  
  
Anna chuckled, even as more tears sprang up in the corners of her eyes. They were all distracted, however, by a gentle breeze. It was _Gale_ , the wind spirit. Several blue sparkles and bits of shimmering crystal were being swept along, forming a very interesting design before their very eyes. A snowflake? Just as Anna attempted to reach for it, the pieces disassembled again and blew towards the nearby coastline. She chased after it, Hans and Kristoff in tow, to come upon the most amazing sight.  
  
Something was running across the fjord's water, approaching the little beach they were standing on. At first, Hans mistook it for a horse and he wondered why it wasn't swimming for its life. Then he saw the shimmers of blue and white. The horse wasn't just running across water, it _was_ water, and riding it was none other than Elsa. She was sporting a different look, but she was alive!  
  
Anna got to her first, but even so, she kept her distance. Perhaps she feared that if she were to get too close, Elsa might vanish into thin air. Hans decided to stick back even further, so as to give the sisters their space. Kristoff followed his example. It wasn't until Elsa held out both arms that Anna jumped into them.  
  
“I thought I lost you,” she cried out against Elsa's shoulder.  
  
“Lost me? You _saved_ me. _Again_.”  
  
“I did?”  
  
“And Anna... Arendelle did not fall.”  
  
“It _didn't_?”  
  
“The spirits all agree, Arendelle deserves to stand. With you.”  
  
“Me?”  
  
“You did what was right. For everyone.”  
  
Relieved, Hans felt his shoulders slump and his muscles relax. He hadn't realized he'd been holding so much tension in his body over the past hour until now. It made sense, though. They had nearly lost _so much_... But Elsa was okay and Arendelle was okay. The spirits had shown them mercy. Kristoff nudged Hans's arm with his elbow in a playful manner and when Hans looked over to him, he was met with a warm smile.  
  
“Did you find the fifth spirit?” Anna asked, still rubbing at her face.  
  
Elsa didn't reply. Her eyebrows raised and her lips pressed together into a thin line. It wasn't a pained expression, nor tragic. It was, if anything, a silent hint. A reference to something grander. Hans had no idea what she was trying to imply, but as it turned out, he didn't _need_ to figure it out.  
  
Anna gasped. “You _are_ the fifth spirit! You're the bridge.”  
  
Elsa took hold of her sister's hands. “Well, actually, a bridge has two sides. And our mother had two daughters. We did this together and we'll continue to do this together.”  
  
“Together,” Anna said, pressing her forehead up against Elsa's.  
  
A long moment of silence passed. Then Elsa finally looked past her sister, locking eyes with Hans and Kristoff. It meant they were free to invade the moment, Hans supposed. Sure enough, Kristoff was already running up to Elsa. It was a bit foreign, really, to see her hold out her arms in a welcoming gesture. Elsa had never been much of a hugger before- not to anyone who wasn't _Anna_. Even so, she allowed Kristoff to throw his big arms around her and even patted him on the back. Hans fostered a few small doubts on duplicating the gesture when it was his turn, but when he saw the contented smile on Elsa's face, he couldn't stop himself. Just like Kristoff, he embraced his future sister-in-law.  
  
“Elsa... I'm so glad you're okay,” he heard Kristoff say breathlessly.  
  
“As am I,” he remarked as he stepped back. “Though perhaps we should have known better than to give up on our snow queen so easily. Or is it... snow _spirit_ , now?”  
  
“Heh... Just _Elsa_ will do,” she replied, amused.  
  
Sven, who'd apparently separated himself from the herd of reindeer, came walking up to Elsa. Sitron was right behind him. Both noble steeds received a tender scritch.  
  
“You look different. Did you cut your hair or something?” Kristoff asked her. Astounded by the sincerity of the question, Hans was the one to elbow _him_ this time. In the ribs.  
  
“Or something,” Elsa replied in a lighthearted air.  
  
“Ah,” Kristoff said awkwardly.  
  
“You look wonderful,” Hans remarked, smiling. “And I don't just mean the hair. Or the clothes. Those are wonderful as well, of course, but... Ah, you know what I mean.”  
  
Elsa chuckled and took Hans's hand, patting it. “I _do_ know what you mean. Thank you.”  
  
“What's this about you being a fifth spirit, all of a sudden?” Kristoff cut in, not quite as relaxed as the rest of them. “Does this have to do with the voice you heard? What about Ahtohallan, then? Was there a different fifth spirit before you took over? Were you a spirit all along or did you just become one? I'm so confused...!”  
  
“It's a long story. I'll explain it later,” Elsa said, apparently a bit amused by Kristoff's antics. Then she turned her attention to her sister with a more sober, almost _sad_ expression. “But first, I need to ask Anna a question.”  
  
“Me? A question?” Anna blinked, now reflecting Elsa's gloom. “Okay, shoot.”  
  
The corners of Elsa's lips curled upwards, and the next second, she appeared downright _mischievous_. “Do you wanna build a snowman?” she asked.  
  
“What?”  
  
Elsa closed her eyes in concentration and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a breeze came washing over the nearby hill, carrying with it a whole cloud of snowflakes, which began to circle the group. Even as they watched in awe, Hans couldn't help but feel there was something familiar about it. Something comforting.  
  
“Thank goodness, water has memory,” Elsa said. She directed the snow towards the ground with a single motion of the hand, where it separated into one larger form and one smaller version. Snowmen.  
  
Anna gasped in delight and Hans started, because he hadn't taken into account that so long as Elsa was alive, this was even possible. While Anna dashed towards the larger snowman, taking a bundle of sticks out of her bag as she went, Hans instead untied the light purple bandana from around his wrist. Then he stepped forward and crouched down, putting it back where it belonged.  
  
Olly was the first to truly reawaken, hazy at first. Then he squeaked and jumped up into Hans's lap, where he was met with as much of a hug as a tiny Snowgie could ever receive. Relief washed over Hans and he vowed that he would never take Olly for granted again.  
  
“ _Anna_...?” Olaf asked once he'd regained his consciousness. His gaze swept the entire group, his attitude becoming more cheerful as it went. “Elsa! Hans, Olly, a-and Kristoff and Sven! And Sitron! You all came back!”  
  
Everyone immediately leaned in for a warm group hug; even Sven and Sitron allowed their heads to rest against shoulders. It really helped ground Hans in the reality that everyone was okay. They'd all made it through this adventure just fine and had come out stronger in the end.  
  
“What about Samantha? Have you seen Samantha?” Olaf asked, and for a moment there was confusion. Then Olaf began to laugh. “ _Oh_! Right! Samantha was just a figment of my imagination! Sorry!”  
  
Anna chortled into her hands, Olly giggled and Elsa shook her head. As for Kristoff, he made a very loud, very exasperated sound. “It's good to have you back, Olaf,” he said wryly.  
  
“I love happy endings!” Olaf said as everyone backed out of the hug and stood up straight again. Then he addressed Elsa with a more serious, possibly even _scolding_ air. “I mean, I presume we're done. Or is this putting us in mortal danger situation gonna be a regular thing?”  
  
“No, we're done,” Elsa replied.  
  
“Actually... There is one more thing,” Kristoff said, his voice taking on a more smooth tone. Was he going to...? He wouldn't, would he?  
  
Hans's greatest fears were confirmed when Kristoff began to bend one of knees. Not wasting even a second, he grabbed the man's arm to stop him. “ _Not yet_ ,” he hissed through his teeth, hoping that Anna wouldn't hear him.  
  
Now was not the best time to propose. They'd been through _so much_ already in the past few days. Anna would need some time to breathe before having another life-changing event tossed her way. _Hans_ needed some time to breathe, too. It was astounding, in a way, that Kristoff was still brash enough to attempt it at the moment. But then... Kristoff was the one who'd actually gotten sleep these past few nights. It made sense for him to be the most composed out of all of them.  
  
While Kristoff shot a look of confusion his way, it was quickly replaced by understanding. Elsa fought to hide a smile- she must've caught on- while Olaf and Anna both frowned. Luckily, they _hadn't_ spotted the awkward moment.  
  
“What is it?” Anna ultimately asked.  
  
“We uh... We should go back to the forest to let everyone know Elsa's okay! _Right_?” Kristoff stammered. “They'll be delighted! Especially Lieutenant Mattias.”  
  
Anna laughed. “Well, _of course_ we'll go and let everyone know! Gosh, Kristoff. Did you think we were going to go back to Arendelle without saying goodbye?”  
  
“Just... Just making sure.”  
  
\---------  
  
As they returned to the Enchanted Forest's entrance, where the Northuldra and the Arendellian soldiers were surely waiting for them, Anna lagged behind with Elsa just a bit. After such a long, exhausting day, there was no need to walk any faster than this. Her two boyfriends were leading the group, engaged in a conversation that she could easily overhear.  
  
“So it's weird, right? That Anna's part of the fifth spirit?”  
  
“... Come again?”  
  
“Well, that's what Elsa said! The fifth spirit is some kind of bridge, a bridge has two sides, and Anna and Elsa represent both sides of the bridge. So that means they're _both_ the fifth spirit.”  
  
“Ahh... I'm fairly certain she didn't mean it quite so literally. She simply meant that she cannot do the job of the fifth spirit by herself, so Anna will have to help her on the human side of things.”  
  
“Right! As the other half! We're saying the same thing!”  
  
“Kristoff, Anna being human makes her the very definition of _not_ being part of a spirit. Really, you're reading too much into this.”  
  
“Or are you just not reading _enough_ into it?”  
  
Hans slapped both hands to his face and groaned loudly, even as Olly burst into a fit of giggles.  
  
Olaf, who was riding on Sven's back, stood up a bit straighter. “I've gotta say, you're both raising some very good points! Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this in a very fair, objective way. First off, let's-”  
  
Curious as Anna was about the rest of the discussion, she was distracted by Elsa, who took hold of her hand and pulled her to a halt. When she shot a curious glance her sister's way, she was met with a very mysterious expression. So Anna allowed the others to go on ahead, turning her undivided attention to Elsa.  
  
“What is it?” she asked.  
  
“I want to show you something,” was the reply.  
  
Elsa turned and held out both hands. A flurry of glowing, beautiful snow drifted forward, swirling and rising as it formed two misty figures. With a start and a gasp, Anna realized just what she was looking at. Water had memory, and so, not only ice could give it form. The fluidity of snow allowed the figures to move, giving life to a moment in time which must have transpired years ago. Queen Iduna and King Agnarr- Mother and Father- looked just as they did shortly before their deaths. They were holding hands as they gazed into each other's eyes. When Anna heard her mother's voice echo through her mind, an eerie chill ran down her spine. She slapped a hand to her own mouth and cast a quick glance to Elsa, only to be met with a reassuring smile.  
  
“ _Darling, I've been thinking. It might be time to tell Anna about Elsa. I can't bear keeping her shut out any more. She's maturing now. She can be responsible,_ ” was what Mother had said.  
  
“ _It's not Anna I'm worried about,_ ” Father replied in earnest. “ _What if we let them get close again and the feelings are too much for Elsa? Joy brings her powers out as strongly as fear._ ”  
  
“ _But if anyone can find a way to help her, it's Anna._ ”  
  
Anna hadn't realized she was stepping towards her parents until she was mere inches from their spectral faces. Neither of them saw her. Of course they wouldn't; this was only a memory, a conversation which had taken place behind Anna's back. Just another one of many secrets hidden away when she was younger. But this... This was different. This was _good_.  
  
Father chuckled, a sound Anna hadn't heard in a _very_ long time. “ _You may be right about that. There's not much that girl can't do._ ”  
  
“ _Oh... Her love could hold up the world._ ” Mother's gaze, despite looking _through_ Anna, was as sincere and hopeful as could be. It was full of belief, full of trust, full of all those things that Anna had grown to believe might never have been there.  
  
Tears began to flow down Anna's cheeks. There was no way of stopping them.  
  
“ _Lucky for the world,_ ” Father remarked wistfully. “ _Alright. We'll tell her when we return._ ”  
  
Her parents embraced, only to disappear in a wisp of glowing blue when a breeze took hold of the snowflakes keeping them there. Anna reflexively held out a hand, but knew there was no way to make them stay. Her parents were already gone, for they'd never returned from their trip. Her throat still thick with emotion, she quickly wiped at her eyes and drew in a deep sniff through her nose. Elsa came to stand beside her, gazing up at the sky. Overwhelmed, Anna turned and threw her arms over her sister's shoulders to pull her into a tight hug.  
  
“Thank you... _so_ much for that,” she whispered.  
  
“They believed in you, Anna,” Elsa said, placing her hands on Anna's shoulders to ease her out of the embrace again. Then she peered straight into her eyes. “And so do I.”  
  
Those words were enough to confirm what Anna had already suspected. It was the ending to this adventure that she had dreaded all along. Trouble was, the kind smile on Elsa's face radiated comfort, determination, bliss and all those things that Elsa hadn't _quite_ shown when she was queen of Arendelle. Gone was the second-guessing, gone was the fear of change. Was there anything in the world more important than that? There wasn't, was there?  
  
Anna smiled sadly and placed her hand atop Elsa's own. “You're not coming home with us, are you?”  
  
Elsa seemed surprised to have been read so easily. Then her expression shifted back to sincerity. “Ahtohallan changed me. I don't know how the forest and the spirits need me, now, but I wanna be there when they do.”  
  
“... You've found your place. That's good!” Anna paused, then shook her head. “I mean, it's good for _you_! Obviously I'm sad that you won't be coming home with us. But that doesn't mean we won't see each other anymore, right? You can always come and visit Arendelle. Or we can come on vacation _here_! If Kai will let me go- do you think Kai will let me go?”  
  
Elsa laughed quietly, shaking her head. “I think that he will have no choice.”  
  
Anna laughed as well, relief surging through her as the situation attempted to sink in. “You're really sure about this?”  
  
“I've never been more sure about anything in my life,” Elsa replied earnestly. She raised a hand to Anna's face, cupping her cheek. “As I said earlier, Arendelle deserves to stand with you. You will always do what's best for our people and so, I have no doubts that you will be the kindest, most amazing queen our kingdom has ever had.”  
  
“Even more amazing than the queen who could shoot ice from her fingers?” Anna asked, grinning.  
  
“ _Ten_ times more amazing.”  
  
\---------  
  
Kristoff tugged at his collar. Then at his right sleeve. Then his collar again. He looked down towards his shiny, tight, black leather shoes and the perfectly straight pants which didn't hold so much as a single crease to them. As he did so, the glimmer of his gold belt buckle caught his eye. It looked so expensive... Both hands smoothed out his jacket, as they had several times already over the past ten minutes, then went up to push his hair backwards.  
  
This whole outfit was uncomfortable, but he had to bear it, if only for tonight. Maybe the pounding of his heart could distract him from the clothes. ...Nope, that just made it worse.  
  
“Are you _certain_ this is what you want to wear?” he heard Hans ask through the daze.  
  
Forcing himself to pay closer attention to his actual surroundings, Kristoff's gaze went from the duck pond to his companion. Hans looked just as prim and proper as he did, which was a weird thing to think about, really. Kristoff had never imagined he'd end up the same level of fancy attire as an actual prince, but here he was.  
  
They were both standing in the castle garden, waiting for Anna. She was being brought here by Olaf, which was sure to cause some delays. Knowing their snowman friend, he was taking Anna the long way round to show her sights she was already very familiar with. Still, they weren't alone; Sven and Olly were in the garden as well. There was no way this whole thing was taking place without Kristoff's best friend present, and as for Olly... Well, there was no reason for him _not_ to be here, Kristoff supposed. Both Sven and the Snowgie were wearing enormous bowties, which popped with blue and purple striping.  
  
“Positive. I mean, it was Sven's idea, but...” Kristoff trailed off and glanced towards his reindeer friend, who grunted in a supportive way. “He's right. I want this proposal to be perfect. And I want Anna to _see_ me as perfect, so-”  
  
“But you're already perfect, no matter what you wear,” Hans cut across him, smiling warmly. Immediately, Kristoff felt heat rise to his cheeks.  
  
“No- I mean- _maybe_ , but... I just want to leave a lasting impression on her, you know. She's going to be the queen of Arendelle soon. So that means...”  
  
“That means she'll still love you, no matter what. And so will I. Really, you don't need to change anything about yourself to match us. But if it means that much to you... Well, you still look handsome either way.”  
  
Maybe just to emphasize his point, or maybe as a genuine gesture of affection, Hans raised a hand to the side of Kristoff's head, brushing some locks of hair back with the tips of his fingers. While it was a nice feeling, something was a little off about it. Kristoff grinned and chortled, then took Hans's hand with his own and moved it back downwards.  
  
“Since we're giving each other fashion advice,” Kristoff began airily, his fingers pinching at silky fabric, “I don't think you should be wearing these gloves.”  
  
“Oh! Are they too white? Should I have gone with something more beige?” Hans asked right off the bat, peering down at the accessories in question with an expression that bordered on alarmed. It just went to prove that despite his earlier show of resolution, he too was fretting about the smaller details.  
  
“No, I'm saying you don't need gloves at all,” Kristoff clarified. “When asking someone for their hand, you should give them your own hand in return, don't you think?”  
  
Hans blinked, then nodded fervently. “Right! You're right! Sorry, old habits,” he stammered, and with that, he removed his gloves. He glanced around in an idle manner for a few seconds, seemed to realize there was nowhere to put the gloves down, then finally slipped them into a pocket on the front of his jacket. Some of the fingertips were still poking out the top, Kristoff noted, but he decided to let it slide.  
  
They weren't really given time to contemplate much else. The sound of Olaf's very distinct voice reached their ears. Kristoff's heart began to hammer all over again and every muscle in his body tensed. Not long after, Olaf led the way into the garden, with Anna trailing in his wake at a slow pace. She stopped in her tracks soon after, her eyes darting from the paper lanterns strung from the trees to the candles circling the duck pond, then finally towards Hans and Kristoff.  
  
Once again, Kristoff fought a very hard urge to tug at his collar. Following that was the urge to scratch his left arm, which had suddenly grown very itchy, but he fought that off too.  
  
Oblivious to the truth which was settling into Anna's mind, Olaf continued to chatter on and on. “And that's when I decided to give the wolf my sausage nose, and I made a lifelong friend! Except not really, because I never saw that wolf again and I'm pretty sure his buddies tried to take my fruitcake half a year later, buuut... All in all, I like to think I did a good thing! So anyway, here are at the duck pond, the place that I said I'd bring you to.”  
  
At last, Olaf came to a halt, both physically and in his conversation. He whirled round to give Anna an expectant stare. A long silence followed. Anna took a few more timid steps into the garden, her eyes still mostly focused on Kristoff. That was a little unnerving. Finally, her shock melted into tender amusement.  
  
“Awww... Did you boys set up a romantic evening and get all dressed up for me?” she asked them.  
  
“ _SURPRIIIIIISEEEE_!” Olaf yelled before either of them could respond.  
  
Anna laughed. Kristoff felt some of his own tension melt away. He allowed his features to settle into as suave an expression as he could manage, hoping it looked more charming than unnerving.  
  
As for Hans, he was his usual chipper self. “We figured this was one of your last free nights before your coronation, so we might as well make the best of it,” he said. “Who knows what your schedule will be like a week from now?”  
  
“Is that so?” Anna quirked an eyebrow, smirking. “I _was_ going to instate a law that the queen must have at least one evening a week off to spend with her loved ones, but if you think this _one_ date is enough to make up for that...”  
  
“It just might. But you'd better keep those extra evenings a week, just in case,” Hans remarked. He took hold of Anna's hands and began to guide her towards the nearby bench. Having her sit down for this was a good idea, Kristoff felt. This proposal would either weaken her in the knees or have her try to run away as fast as her legs could carry her.  
  
Still, her eyes were on Kristoff when she next spoke. “You look _very_ nice tonight. But you know you don't _have_ to dress up all fancy for me, right? I kinda prefer you in leather.”  
  
“You- I- Uhhh-” Kristoff stammered, now blushing furiously. His ears caught some chuckles coming from Hans's direction and he shook his head wildly. “No. I know. I just... I _wanted_ to try it. For me. Also for you, but mostly for me.”  
  
“Sooo... Is it worth it for you?” Anna asked.  
  
“A little. I don't know if I'll make a habit out of it, but it's good to know the option's there.”  
  
“That makes sense!”  
  
Kristoff cast a quick sideways glance towards Olaf, who was still standing by and watching the whole thing unfold with wide eyes. There was a sort of giddy smile on his face. He knew what was coming, of course. That didn't mean Kristoff was comfortable with him being there. Sven and Olly he could tolerate, but Olaf had a tendency to be very invasive. What if he distracted from the proposal just by being his usual, loud self?  
  
“Are you... going to stay here for this?” Kristoff asked him.  
  
“ _Uh-huh_!” Olaf replied, nodding his head and still grinning widely.  
  
Kristoff sighed.  
  
“We wanted to tell you something very important,” Hans said to Anna. “Trouble is, we both know how bad Kristoff is at putting his feelings into words.”  
  
“ _Dreadful_ , really,” Kristoff admitted with a shrug.  
  
“So that's why we've decided to put it into _song_ instead.”  
  
With that statement out in the open, Kristoff made a snatch for his lute, which had been leaning against a nearby pillar. He strummed two of the strings and Anna raised both hands to her mouth. Still, there was no going back now. This was it, the perfect moment. The perfect opportunity. They'd do it just as they'd rehearsed. He exchanged a quick glance with Hans, who nodded, then began to play. It was a cheerful, simple little intro.  
  
Hans began to bob along with the music, swaying back and forth a bit before speaking in line with the melody. “Can we just... say something crazy?”  
  
Anna giggled into her hands. “I _love_ crazy!”  
  
That was the exact response Kristoff had expected. His fingers strummed the lute a bit faster. It was his turn now, and while his throat felt like it was closing up, he still managed to swallow. Singing was easy enough; he sang to Sven all the time. He could do this. All he had to do was focus on the music.  
  
“Reindeers are better than people, that's what I always thought. True love was for others, it bothers and smothers, for me it didn't mean squaaat...! Sven was my only friend, on my ice business I could always depend, but there was nothing I was living towaaard.”  
  
“It was the same for me, I just couldn't see, a future where I was adored,” Hans sang, stepping up to Kristoff to place a hand on his shoulder before turning his attention back to Anna. “So when I crossed the Southern Sea, I never expected to be, anything other than maybe a little booored.”  
  
“Not that Elsa's coronation was _boring_ ,” Kristoff hastily clarified, breaking character in the most tremendous of ways. He just couldn't risk Anna taking this the wrong way. “I mean- I wouldn't know, I wasn't there. We just needed something that rhymes with “adored”, you know.”  
  
“ _Kristoff_ ,” Hans whispered at him, squeezing his shoulder.  
  
“Right, right.” Kristoff strummed the strings again, trying to ease himself back into the melody. “You're my true north when I am lost, the thaw after the frost... But truth is, I don't know what I'm doing. I've never been too worldly in the ways of proper wooing.”  
  
“It was the opposite here, on that night we first met. I immediately asked for your hand without breaking a sweat. Love was an open door, or so I believed, and I didn't think about anything more. Guess we all had a lot to leeearn...!”  
  
Kristoff's fingers picked up their speed even more, adding some additional cheer and quirkiness to the melody. It represented _hope_ , really. A bright, beautiful future.  
  
“But with our powers combined, we know exactly what to do! We both know how crazy lucky we are to love yooou!” he sang together with Hans, only to break off and do the next few words by himself again.  
  
“Gorgeous, funny, brave, and brilliant!” he exclaimed.  
  
“Witty, strong, caring and responsible!” Hans chimed in.  
  
“Beautiful, won't give up on anyone!”  
  
“Nothing like I've ever known before!”  
  
“ _Yooou_ ,” Kristoff and Hans sang in unison.  
  
Anna clapped both her hands against her chest, looking more emotional by the second. “Awww...” she cooed quietly. Man, they were _nailing_ this.  
  
“So from now on, let's never be alone,” Kristoff decreed. “You two are the most extraordinary people I've ever known. I love you with all I am, those words will never be a sham, and if anyone says otherwise I won't give a daaamn.”  
  
“Ooh, _Kristoff_!” Anna gasped, looking oddly excited about his use of a very fierce D word.  
  
“If someone says it's crazy, I'll turn the other cheek,” Hans sang, apparently staving off a bit of laughter himself. “I'll love the two of you week after week after week. With you I've found my place, and nothing in this world can ever erase... love that's reached the highest peaaak!”  
  
Kristoff stepped over to Anna, still playing even as he went. Hans was right by his side. It was fine. This was going to be fine. They both sank to one knee as the song neared an end. Anna raised both hands to her mouth, as it was confirmed now without a doubt just what was happening.  
  
“And if push comes to shove, I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love,” Kristoff tossed in at the last second, before finally taking his fingers off the lute's strings. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, both Anna and Hans were staring at him.  
  
“What was that last bit?” Anna asked after an awkward silence.  
  
“... Olaf told me to use that line. He said it'd be funny,” Kristoff replied, blushing. He threw a glare Olaf's way, only to be met with as much of a thumbs-up as twiggy hands could muster.  
  
“And it _was_!” the snowman declared. As if to prove his brother's point, Olly burst into a fit of giggles. As for Sven, he rolled his eyes.  
  
“And _I_ told him to ignore Olaf's suggestions,” Hans said, shrugging his shoulders. “But Kristoff will always be delightfully stubborn. So anyway...”  
  
Hans reached into his pocket. Kristoff started and hastily put his lute down, because he'd forgotten about this next part. His hand shot towards a pocket on the inside of his jacket and his fingers fumbled with smooth metal. Then, finally, he managed to hold out a ring. He wasn't the only one to do so. His eyes darted towards Hans to confirm the timing of it all, and was met with a firm nod.  
  
“Anna of Arendelle, will you marry us?” they both asked at the same time.  
  
It was at this point that tears began to flow from Anna's eyes and for one dreadful second, Kristoff was sure they'd messed this whole thing up. Their proposal had been so very lousy that Anna wanted to _cry_. A painful cold settled in his stomach. Anna bit down on her bottom lip and flapped her hands, then finally choked out a “ _Yes_!”  
  
The oddest thing happened. Despite hearing his own relieved laughter, as well as Hans's jeer, Kristoff must've blacked out for a moment. He didn't remember doing anything, but he must've moved on instinct, because all of a sudden he was enveloped in a tight group hug. Anna's hair tickled his left cheek and Hans's jaw pressed against his _right_ cheek. Very shortly after, he felt something nudge his shoulder and realized it was Sven.  
  
He was being congratulated. He'd done it. He'd finally _gotten it right_. With Hans's help, of course.  
  
Olaf was already making loud proclamations about being the best man at the wedding- or at the very least the best _snow_ man. Olly squeaked and darted around them in circles. Rings were exchanged and were found to be a perfect fit. It shouldn't have surprised Kristoff as much as it had. And maybe the proposal shouldn't have worried him as much as it had, either. He'd already known for a long time that he loved Anna and Hans, just as they loved him. He couldn't possibly love them any more. So what did marriage _really_ change about that? It was just a promise that they'd already devoted themselves to, but never dared to speak before now.  
  
Still though, it felt nice to finally get it out in the open.  
  
Kristoff had never quite believed in 'happily ever after' and even now, he didn't think there was such a thing. Anna and Hans might've grown beyond that sort of naivety too. Even so, assuming there were no more dangerous adventures in their future, magical or otherwise... Yes, they were definitely going to live good, happy, _loved_ lives together.  
  
  
 **The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we gooo! Assuming there's no Frozen 3 or other Frozen-verse material to add to the canon, this was it. The final chapter. It's precisely because there might one day be more Frozen canon that I'm leery about venturing beyond Frozen 2's ending. Who knows what the future might bring, right?
> 
> So just in case this was indeed the end, I want to thank everyone who's been reading, commenting and leaving kudos! It's been a very fun project to work on, and whenever someone tells me that this is what they wanted from Frozen and/or Hans's character, I just get so very glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. So thank you for all the support, thank you for being invested in this alternate universe I've crafted, thank you for even being interested at all!


End file.
